Tuesday, February 16, 2010

NFL Players Association Joins Justice Department Effort to Raise Awareness of Violence Against Women

On February 4, the Justice Department announced that the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) joined its year-long campaign to commemorate the 15 year anniversary of President Bill Clinton signing the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) into law.

The NFLPA has "Joined the List," a group of more than 100 celebrities including actors, musicians and athletes, who have lent their names to raise awareness with their fans, through Web and fan sites, and social networking profiles. In addition to the NFLPA, 16 players - including New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees - have lent their names to this initiative.

The NFLPA also announced its partnership with CAEPV Member the Family Violence Prevention Fund (FVPF), a grantee of the Justice Department's Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), on their "Callout Card" contest as part of their That's Not Cool teen initiative. The contest is designed to engage youth and invites teens to create "callout cards" that can be used to raise awareness of teen dating abuse. The contest's grand prize winner will receive a trip to Washington, D.C., to attend the NFL PLAYERS Gala, and will have a chance to walk the red carpet and meet with top NFL stars. Four runners-up will receive autographed NFL memorabilia, such as a jersey or helmet. Ten honorable mention winners will receive That's Not Cool t-shirts and NFLPA hats.

The contest, for teenagers ranging in age from 13 to 18, continues through March 15.

For more information, go to: www.thatsnotcool.com/contest.

2 comments:

KWG said...

That's why I love football! ;) Right on, Kim.

Kim Wells said...

Kevin - I agree it is very cool when athletes make a strong statement against domestic violence. And Drew Brees is pretty darn cool! :-)