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 by Elvis
9 years 2 months ago
 Total posts:   39466  
 Joined:  Mar 28 2015
United States of America   Los Angeles
Administrator

https://www.nflpa.com/news/all-news/jar ... ommunities

Rams TE Jared Cook joins forces with the Van Duzer Foundation to support

At-RiskCommunities through the Restoring the Village initiative​


In 2013, Scott Van Duzer and a group of volunteers worked tirelessly to create an opportunity for at-risk adolescent males to become engaged in Boy Scouting. The students who attended a school for students with behavioral and academic issues, lived almost exclusively in the most dangerous and violent, gang-riddled areas of St. Lucie County, Florida.

Image
(Photo Courtesy of Christina Phillips)

Sixty boys initially expressed a desire to become Boy Scouts through Troop 772, named for the area code of its location, and a year later, the improvement to the boys’ grades, attitudes, and lives was astonishing enough to capture the attention and interest of officials in St. Louis, Missouri, where racial issues are prominent and touchy.

Van Duzer, a local business owner in Fort Pierce, assembled a team which included a mayor, police chief, county commissioner, congressman, fire chief, and member of the Florida House of Representatives.

Last month, the team got a lot stronger when Jared Cook, tight end for the St. Louis Rams, came on board and agreed to be the voice of the program, which is called Restoring the Village. Cook, who is halfway through a five-year contract with the St. Louis Rams, has been active in several communities including St. Louis, Atlanta, Columbia and Nashville and decided to join the St. Lucie County team of Restoring the Village as the national spokesperson to offer his voice in assistance and support.

Cook understands firsthand how exposure to positive environments and positive leaders can change the path of a child immediately.

Cook and the team immediately got to work, traveling to Washington, D.C., to meet with individuals from My Brother’s Keeper, a national initiative to help youth stay on track.

While in Washington, D.C., Cook, who was the 2012 Walter Payton Award Winner for the Tennessee Titans, was recognized by Florida Congressman Patrick Murphy for his dedication and continued involvement to community service and his latest affiliation with Restoring the Village and Team 772.

With Cook as a spokesperson, Van Duzer and the team hope to see real change occur. This small, thoughtful group has big plans to help change the world for children now and into the future.

Additional information can be found here.

Contact
Christina Phillips
803.979.7971

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2 posts Sep 07 2024