With our corporate headquarters located in the heart of Eagles territory, we wanted to recognize one of “the birds” for something beyond the excellent season they’ve been having on the gridiron! Philadelphia Eagles Defensive End, Chris Long, has pledged all of his paychecks from the 2017 season to a cause that really speaks to our hearts – the education of our children.
Long has already donated six of his paychecks towards scholarships to help improve educational opportunities in his hometown of Charlottesville, VA. Via Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia, Long announced last week that he was giving away his final 10 game checks this year to four additional organizations he has identified “whose missions focus on making education easily accessible to undeserved youth while also providing students the support they need to develop strong social and emotional character.”
Now playing the entire 2017 season without income, Long’s salary of $1 million is being allocated to various education equality efforts in Philadelphia, Boston, and St. Louis – the cities he’s played in throughout his ten-year career.
“My wife and I have been passionate about education being a gateway for upward mobility and equality,” Long told the Associated Press. “I think we can all agree that equity in education can help effect change that we all want to see in this country.”
He went on to say, “In my 10th year, I want to celebrate the awesome opportunity I’ve had to play football by giving back to the communities that have given me that gift. Educational opportunity and equity are the best gateway to a better tomorrow for everyone in America.”
Along with his selfless donation, The Chris Long Foundation announced a campaign called “Pledge 10 for Tomorrow,” which encourages people to donate what they can to this cause in one of the aforementioned cities for the remaining ten games of the season. At the end of the regular season, Long will give an additional $50,000 to the partner charity in the city that raises the most money! If you would like to contribute to the cause, you can do so by clicking here.