New England Patriots and United Way Team Up for Hometown Huddle
Boston - On Tuesday, Oct 10, players Ben Watson and Artrell Hawkins joinedPatriots Hall-of-Famer Andre Tippett, to spend the afternoon coaching Roxbury youth through football training basics as a part of United Way of Massachusetts Bay ’s annual Hometown Huddle. “We’re going to show you guys what the Patriots do,” the players had promised at the start of the event. This year’s Huddle took place at the Yawkey Club of Roxbury, a division ofBoys & Girls Clubs of Boston.
The Patriots players focused on the power of mentorship and talked about the importance of having people to look up to in life. “You never stop having role models,” Hawkins told the kids after the skills clinic. “I still have role models in my life…. As individuals we strive to be better every day.” The Patriots encouraged the young people to find someone with integrity to advise them and be there for the tough decisions they face.
Milton J. Little Jr., president and chief executive officer of United Way of Massachusetts Bay , welcomed the youth and thanked the players for taking part in such a special community event. “ There is more and more research that tells us youth who have strong, supportive adult relationships perform better academically, have increased self-esteem, skip school or drop out less, and even have improved relationships with their parents,” he said. United Way works with children and youth centers to foster positive relationships with adults inside and outside the family, ensuring that children and teens are given environments in which they can live, learn, adapt and grow.
The NFL and United Way partnership is the most visible and longest running charitable collaboration of its kind. Hometown Huddle is a league-wide day of service that provides NFL players and coaches from each team the opportunity to take part in a variety of community-service activities. The Hometown Huddle partnership between the New England Patriots and United Way of Massachusetts Bay began in 1999.
