(Photo Credit: Mark Stehle) Source: https://us.pg.com/blogs/
Old Spice has always championed confidence for young people. And building confidence also involves having access to academic resources and a community of support.
That’s where Former Philadelphia Eagle Malcolm Jenkins comes in. The three-time Pro Bowl safety and two-time Super Bowl Champion went back to class with Old Spice and Walmart to surprise students and inspire change in underserved communities through the Malcolm Jenkins Foundation.
Jenkins visited Simon Gratz High School as part of the Old Spice School of Swagger initiative, according to the Philadelphia Eagles’ Gabriella DiGiovanni.
The School of Swagger is a 10-year mission to help increase high school graduation rates by 10 percent.
Experts say that confidence is the best predictor of achievement in both mathematics and English, is related to both cognitive and self-belief measures and is among the best-known predictors of success. Old Spice believes that the rate of high school student dropouts can be lowered by working to build confidence and create lasting, positive and impactful personal and academic relationships through mentorship.
The 13-year NFL veteran said that mentorship and people investing in him throughout his life allowed him to dream big, pursue his passions and chase after whatever brought purpose to his life."That's where we meet these kids right now," Jenkins told the Eagles’ DiGiovanni. "At that place where they need encouragers, they need people with vision to speak life into them, to show them things about themselves that they might not know yet, skills that they have that they don't know that they can monetize or live off of – all of that's important in development and hopefully we're doing that through this program."
Old Spice School of Swagger is all about understanding the unique needs and identities of young people, bring communities together to support those needs, and work with partners to sustain resources in those communities for long term impact. Learn more.
To date, the Jenkins Foundation has awarded more than $100,000 in scholarships through the Project R.E.W.A.R.D.S program (Reinforcing Education With Activities, Recreation and Developmental Supports) with a four-year life skills curriculum, a program more than 200 students participate in each year. Of the 72 graduating high school seniors to receive scholarships through the Foundation, just under half are first generation college students.In addition to his Foundation, Jenkins has also spearheaded a Cease Fire Campaign to reduce gun violence in New Orleans while helping support to families affected by Hurricane Katrina.Jenkins attended Piscataway Township (New Jersey) high school and helped the football team win three consecutive state titles as a defensive back and wide receiver while also capturing a state track and field title in the 400 meters during his junior year. He was recruited by Ohio State and capped off a four-year career by winning the Jim Thorpe Award as the top defensive back in college football.A first-round pick of the New Orleans Saints in 2009, Jenkins helped New Orleans capture a Super Boow title during his rookie season. After five years with the Saints, Jenkins moved to the Philadelphia Eagles where he earned his first Pro Bowl nomination in 2015. Of his 14 career interceptions, Jenkins has returned six of them for a touchdown.You can support your favorite nominee in this campaign by favoriting, donating, tweeting and joining his/her team with a chance to be recognized as one of his/her top supporters. Starting Friday, June 9, you can also come back daily to “Boost” your favorite nominee. Fans receive points for joining a team, donating, tweeting, boosting or responding to “ do-gooder challenges”.The direct link to Malcolm’s page is 
Former Ohio State cornerback Malcolm Jenkins remembers the thrill of being the 14th overall pick in the 2009 NFL draft. But seven years since, and a day after the 2016 first round that saw five Buckeyes taken, Jenkins was gaining satisfaction of a different sort.This morning he was at the Columbus Urban League parking lot off Mount Vernon Avenue helping coordinate the second Get Ready Fest, a collaboration of his Malcolm Jenkins Foundation, Feed the Children and Teleperformance. With its mission to distribute a 25-pound box of food and a 10-pound box of personal hygiene products to 1,200 pre-identified families who can use the help, the orderly line stretched down the block.“We’re feeding and helping over 4,500 people,” Jenkins said. “They get not only the food, but they get resources, they get haircuts, help services -- everything that they need to really get a kick start.“Everything that we do we focus on youth, and families, and under-served communities because, you know, I’ve been blessed. There are people in need that look up to me as an athlete, that look up to everybody (including the hundreds of volunteers involved), and this is an opportunity for us to give back.” Ironically, it was his being drafted in 2009 that helped set him on this path. He was taken by the New Orleans Saints, thrusting him into a city still in the early years of its recovery from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.“Seven years ago I was getting drafted to a city that had a lot of need,” Jenkins said. “I got to look around the community and could see there were people that needed help. So I did what little part that I could.“And through the Malcolm Jenkins Foundation we just started to give back to all the communities that have affected me.”That list includes New Orleans; his hometown area in and around Piscataway, N.J.,; Philadelphia, where he now plays for the Eagles; and Columbus, where he was a star for the Buckeyes. The program is in its fourth year overall.Asked whether he’d recommend becoming involved in such endeavors to those drafted on Thursday night, Jenkins said, “I think it’s all personal, and it all depends on what you want to invest your money in.“For me, I like to invest not only my money but my time into other people. I know that some people, whether it be (his former OSU coach and now Youngstown State University president) Jim Tressel, be it my high school coaches, my parents, they invested time in me, and I know the impact that it’s had on my life. So that’s what I like to give back to other people.”His friend and former New Orleans teammate Will Smith, who played at Ohio State before him, had been involved in several chartitable endeavors during his playing days and since his career ended after the 2013 season. But Smith, 34, was shot to death on a New Orleans street several weeks ago after a late-night traffic accident escalated into a confrontation with the driver who had hit him from behind.“Unfortunately I don’t know what the lesson is from this tragedy beside the fact life is short and you’ve got to enjoy the time you have with your friends and family,” Jenkins said. “It’s a tragic situation, and it brings to light to a bigger narrative about violence and some senseless acts.“That’s because it’s one thing to read a news clip about Will Smith’s passing, but it’s a different thing to go to his funeral and see his three kids and his wife who will never have him again. That’s something that I think we’ve become numb to. ... Will Smiths happen across this country every single day, and it’s unfortunate.”Jenkins, meanwhile, is an NFL veteran and Pro Bowl performer who has persevered for two teams during the past seven years, so he had some advice for those being drafted this week.“One, enjoy the ride,” he said. “There’s a lot of things, a lot of pressure, a lot of tugging and pulling -- everything is really set up for you to fail, basically. But you’ve got to enjoy it. And then, just be smart. Have a plan, because football is very, very short.“The law of averages say you’re only going to play for three years; if you play any more than that you’re lucky. But you’ll most likely be done playing when you’re 35. There’s a lot of life to live after that. We get kind of brainwashed to think that football is all we can do. Enjoy it while you have it, take advantage of it while you have it, but also prepare for a life afterwards.”Original article taken from Columbus Dispatch | Ohio State Buckeyextra: