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Community Corner

St. Louis Rams team up with United Way for Hometown Huddle

About 100 children from 10 United Way of Greater St. Louis supported organizations serving youth attended the 14th annual Hometown Huddle with the St. Louis Rams on Tuesday, October 15, held at the Rams training facility in Earth City.

The NFL/United Way Hometown Huddle is a league-wide day of service designed to bring awareness and impact to the issue of youth health and fitness. During Hometown Huddle, United Way volunteers and St. Louis Rams players, coaches and leadership participate in fitness and fun experiences to teach youth the importance of eating healthy, being active and generating healthy habits.

“Hometown Huddle brings together the NFL’s long-standing commitment to health and fitness with partner organizations like United Way,” Orvin Kimbrough, president and CEO of United Way of Greater St. Louis, said.  “We know that participating in school sports and supervised afterschool activities offers many benefits to children and teens— higher school achievement, lower dropout rates, improved health, reduced obesity and the development of skills like teamwork and problem-solving. This afternoon’s activities are about learning that physical activity and eating right can be fun.” 

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Kimbrough also thanked the crowd for supporting United Way’s 2013 fundraising campaign, which runs through November 6, to continue activities such as Hometown Huddle in United Way partner agencies. 

The agencies involved were: Kingdom House, Great Circle, Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois, Boy Scout-Lewis and Clark Council, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri, Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri, Annie Malone Children and Family Service Center, Grace Hill Settlement House, Boy Scouts of Greater St. Louis, and Sherwood Forest Camp.

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Rams players were: #66 – Shelley Smith, #99 – Gerald Rivers, #96 – Mason Brodine, and #64 – Sean Hooey.

Hometown Huddle is a chance for the NFL and United Way to come together for a day of service in their community. All 32 NFL teams work with their local United Way on a variety of projects to help build healthier, stronger regions.

The partnership between the NFL and United Way is the longest-running partnership in history between a major sports league and a nonprofit organization with 2013 marking the 40th anniversary.





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