Jason Witten
Now in its fourth year, Jason Witten’s SCORE Foundation has launched numerous outreach programs and funded several new building projects in Texas and his native Tennessee.
Three years ago, the foundation launched the Jason Witten SCOREkeepers program, a unique initiative placing full-time, trained male mentors in battered women’s shelters throughout Texas. The mentors seek to demonstrate positive male behavior to the children living in these shelters in an effort to break the cycle of violence that plagues families affected by abuse. With the help of generous grants from the Allstate Foundation, Jason Witten’s SCORE Foundation has placed SCOREkeepers in six shelters across the Lone Star State – The Family Place (Dallas), SafeHaven (Fort Worth), Family Violence Prevention Services (San Antonio), New Beginning Center (Garland), Denton County Friends of the Family (Denton Co.) and Safe Place (Austin). He also routinely hosts children from these shelters for special events like Christmas parties, bowling outings and trips to Cowboys training camp.
This year, the foundation launched a new domestic violence prevention program called “Coaching Boys Into Men” in high schools across Arlington, Texas. The program trains coaches to educate their players on the dangers of dating violence.
In addition to his distinguished work in the battle against domestic violence, Witten also built a Jason Witten Media Center, complete with a state-of-the-art recording studio, at the East Dallas Boys & Girls Club center in March 2008. A month later, he dedicated another one at the Boys & Girls Club in his hometown of Elizabethton, Tenn.
In the early summer of 2008, Jason furthered his commitment to NFL Play 60 with a local media campaign in North Texas with the Ad Council. He cut radio and TV spots to run in the North Texas area promoting Play 60 during a summer media road block. He also spoke at the press conference hosted at Texas Stadium to help kick off the local campaign. A part of the press conference included youth from Boys & Girls Clubs of Arlington participating in physical fitness activities including Hoola-Hoop, Jump Rope and of course a little football!
This year, Witten strengthened his commitment to youth fitness by launching the Play.Move.SCORE program at Boys & Girls Clubs centers in Dallas and Fort Worth. The program, sponsored by UnitedHealthcare, is a year-long initiative to get kids active using the groundbreaking HOPSports equipment at the local clubs.
Last June, Witten once again returned to his hometown of Elizabethton, Tenn., where he hosted the 8th Annual Jason Witten Football Camp. With approximately 1,200 kids attending, the camp is one of the largest free football camps in America.
Jason and his wife Michelle, a registered nurse, also funded the construction of a brand new Jason Witten-themed emergency waiting room at The Children’s Hospital at Johnson City Medical Center in Johnson City, Tenn. The project was dedicated in 2009.
In August of this year, Jason was honored as the Pro Football Weekly Humanitarian of the Year. It was a big honor for Jason, but one of several he has received over the last few years. In September 2008, Witten was honored by the Texas Council on Family Violence as one of the 30 Stars Over Texas, joining Governor Rick Perry, US Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, US Senator John Cornyn and former Governor Ann Richards, among others, as 30 people who have made a significant difference in fighting domestic violence in Texas over the last 30 years. That same year, Witten was named a Home Depot NFL Neighborhood MVP, honoring him for his extensive work in the community by building a playground in his honor at Inspired Vision Academy in Dallas. Witten worked alongside more than 150 Home Depot employees to build the playground, and he won the league-wide Home Depot Neighborhood MVP award in February 2009.
In continuing his advocacy for the proper development of children – both inside and outside of the classroom – Jason has taken an elementary age youth to school for the last six years as part of the NFL’s Take a Player to School program. Last year, Jason – with a healing broken rib – spoke to the students and about the importance of Play 60 and making healthy eating choices. He also, participated in physical fitness activities and football drills with the home room class off the winning student.
In 2007, in an effort to help further promote the NFL’s commitment to getting kids healthy and active, Jason starred alongside Reggie Bush and Antonio Gates in a commercial for the NFL’s Play 60 program, which emphasizes the importance of getting kids up and active for at least 60 minutes a day.
The Jason Witten SCORE Foundation is a non-profit 501c3 corporation. It is funded entirely by Witten himself and through the generous contributions of individual donors and corporate partners.