The New York Jets have named guard Brandon Moore as the club's 2012 Walter Payton Man of the Year.
Through the Moore Family Foundation and the New York Jets community relations department, Moore has impacted many lives throughout the country. As the Jets' award winner, he will receive $1,000 to donate to the Moore Family Foundation, his 501(c)(3) organization of choice.
Moore is eligible to win the national Walter Payton Man of the Year Award and be recognized at a news conference during Super Bowl Week in New Orleans. The national winner will receive $25,000 to donate to the 501(c)(3) organization of his choice. Since 1970, the NFL has awarded the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award to recognize a player's off-the-field community service as well as his playing excellence.
In 2005, Moore founded the Moore Family Foundation, which is committed to disadvantaged youth in low-income areas and provides children with access to an array of experiences they may not otherwise be exposed to.
Brandon has become entrenched in the Newark community, more specifically the Boys and Girls Club of Newark (BGCN). The foundation provides backpacks and school supplies to the children and has prepared nearly 300 students for school since beginning the Backpack Give-Away in 2010. This year the foundation was able to expand the program, which included taking a portion of the kids back-to-school-shopping.
Dedicated to advancing educational opportunities and encouragement, Brandon challenged students at a Newark public school to the Read MOORE Challenge. The student who read the most books in the school was rewarded with Jets tickets. The grade that read the most received a pizza party attended by Brandon and some of his teammates.
Expanding on his foundation's educational commitment, Brandon recently started MOORE Prep for members of the BGCN. The program includes weekly sessions of college visits where admissions and financial aid are discussed; as well as presentations from a wide range of careers that the children have expressed interest in and from some careers they may not be familiar with.
In an effort to expose the youth of Newark to the arts and professional sports, Brandon hosted a group of teens for dinner and the Broadway play The Lion King. He has also treated kids to dinner and a Jets game as part of his relationship with the BGCN.
The highlight of the foundation's yearly activities is the Moore Family Foundation Christmas Carnival for kids at the BGCN. Brandon transforms the club into a festive atmosphere with bounce houses, cotton candy, arcade games, Christmas gifts and much more. The kids spend two hours just being kids and enjoying the glee that Christmas brings. To date close to 500 children have attended the annual event.
This year Brandon was the recipient of the Jets and United Way's Gridiron Gala Hometown Hero Award for his commitment to the community. Since its inception, the Gridiron Gala has raised more than $20 million to support United Way-led initiatives. He has also been awarded the Byron Whizzer White Award (2012) and the Ed Block Courage Award (2011).
