The Malcolm Jenkins Foundation’s 3rd Annual Blitz, Bow-Ties and Bourbon fundraiser, was held Monday, October 24th at the historical Union Trust at 717 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, P.A. The highly-anticipated event drew more than 200 attendees, including Philadelphia’s most influential business leaders and celebrities, and many of Jenkins’ Philadelphia Eagles teammates. The event raised more than $90,000 to expand the Foundation’s Philadelphia-based youth programs.
Blitz, Bow-Ties & Bourbon, had a luxurious vibe from the beginning as Jenkins and other Eagles players arrived in Bentley and Rolls Royce vehicles, courtesy of F.C. Kerbeck & Sons. As guests walked the red carpet, Philadelphia Jazz legend, Luke Carlos O’Reilly and Friends of Black Tie Entertainment, owned the main stage with electric performances throughout the night. Sponsors and VIP ticket holders were treated to a pre-event exclusive experience, hosted by Maker’s Mark that included: a live wax dipping for personalized rocks glasses, a small batch bourbon tasting and presentation by Beam Suntory Bourbon Master, Rob Mullane, Maker’s Mark soaked cigars, as well as, personalized custom etching of Knob Creek Whiskey bottles. Guests had the opportunity to get footballs personally autographed by Eagles stars Malcolm Jenkins, Jon Dorenbos, Jordan Matthews, Connor Barwin, Jordan Hicks, Nolan Carroll, Rodney McLeod, Zach Ertz and Chris Maragos, all in attendance.
SpiritForward’s Dan Hamm and his team of mixologists presented customized craft cocktails and guests noshed on signature bites from Bank & Bourbon’s Chef Thomas Harkins, Chef Josh Lawler from Farm and Fisherman, Chef Chip Roman of Blackfish and Tradestone Chocolate, Executive Chef Jon Oh and Chef Joseph Nocella from Scarpetta, and Executive Chef Terry Owens from Capital Grille.
Malcolm Jenkins, Founder and Chairman of The Malcolm Jenkins Foundation, spoke passionately from the stage as he officially opened the evening program. Announcing his commitment to improving the lives of youth and their families in underserved communities, he spoke about the plight of children in Philadelphia’s Promise Zone, a two-mile radius in Western Philadelphia, which currently has a 57% poverty rate and lack of educational resources. In July 2016, the Foundation collaborated with Drexel University’s ExCITe Center to create Summer S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Athletics, & Mathematics), a newly innovative week-long day camp for middle school students that uniquely integrates science, math, and technology with areas of creative and performing arts and athletics including Music Technology (Acoustics and Sound Synthesis), Visual Arts (Geometry and Drawing/Painting), Game Design & Coding (Dance Algorithms, Creating Pixel Art), Athletics (Technology for Analyzing Performance) and Dance (Biology and Movement). Jenkins vowed that the Foundation will increase its programming each year to expand opportunities for youth and thanked attendees for their donations and support.
Eagles Long Snapper and Magician Jon Dorenbos (“America’s Got Talent” “Ellen”) dazzled the crowd with a magic trick that literally had the room shaking with laughter, as he opened the live auction. Guests had the opportunity to bid on unique travel experiences from G2G Collection and one-of-a-kind memorabilia items provided by CSM. Blitz, Bow-Ties, & Bourbon was made possible through the generosity of the Foundation’s sponsors and corporate partners including Piascik, Thomas Jefferson University & Jefferson Health, The Money Athlete, The Ohio State University, Eagles Charitable Foundation, Beam Suntory / Maker’s Mark, Rock Avenue Bow-Ties, Ltd., G2G Collection, NBC10, 94 Sports WIP and F.C. Kerbeck & Sons.
Malcolm Jenkins maintains strong commitment to New Orleans' youth
Malcolm Jenkins' last trip to New Orleans was in the aftermath of violence.He stood at a podium to deliver a tribute for Will Smith at the funeral of his former New Orleans Saints teammate, Ohio State brother and good friend. It was moving. It was heartfelt. It was somber.The tragic ending is one more reason why Jenkins hasn't surrendered on his mission for The Malcolm Jenkins Foundation in New Orleans."Violence and crime happen every single day (in New Orleans)," Jenkins told me earlier this week. "Sometimes it takes those highly visible figures or something to make some realize what's happening every single day. It's really affecting our youth. It's not just adults dealing with this. It's our teenagers. "A lot of it is because they don't know they have other options. They've never seen any other options or any other ways to do things." Jenkins started the charity in 2010 while with the Saints to help supply New Orleans' youth with an avenue away from potential crime and violence. He wanted a route for those who wouldn't have dreamed about college to receive the necessary skills to make it there.
Jenkins will give another speech in New Orleans at Dillard on Thursday evening. This one will be more about hope and triumph. This one will be a victory speech over crime and violence.Through the foundation's Project REWARDS program and in collaboration with College Track New Orleans, Jenkins will award a round of scholarships for the fifth consecutive year to a selection of graduating seniors. It's the third round of scholarships doled out since Jenkins signed with Philadelphia in 2014."Obviously when I left New Orleans, I wanted to make sure everything stayed in tact," Jenkins said. "I don't see that changing. We started in New Orleans because we saw that there was a need. Just because I leave doesn't mean that the need leaves. So it's important for us to stay in the community and continue to help."It's a city that I love and that's supported me. I just try to do my part to give back."Someone like Troy Simon is exactly why Jenkins continues his efforts in earnest.Simon also will be a keynote speaker with Jenkins at Thursday's event. Simon was a member of the first group to receive a scholarship in 2012.Simon himself sometimes wonders how he's advanced this far.He didn't learn to read until he was an early teenager. As First Lady Michelle Obama described, Simon "would regularly cut school because the other students would tease him. When he did attend, he'd shove desks, start fights -- anything to get him out of class." Simon didn't want others knowing he couldn't read.Why does the First Lady know Simon's story? Read full article>>>
Malcolm Jenkins returns to give back to Columbus
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: http://buckeyextra.dispatch.com/content/stories/2016/04/30/0430-malcolm-jenkins.htmltmay@dispatch.com@TIM_MAYsports
TMJF Announces Fall Fundraisers
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