The 2019 Walter Payton Man of the Year’s 100 Sack Give Back provides $100,000 in supplies and funding to under-resourced teachers through Kids In Need Foundation
The CRC Foundation will donate an additional $20,000 to Denver and Miami teachers
Atlanta, Ga. (October 16, 2023) – In celebration of recording his 100th career sack, Atlanta Falcons six-time Pro Bowl Defensive End Calais Campbell and his CRC Foundation are commemorating the accomplishment with a $100,000 donation to support teachers in under-resourced schools through Kids In Need Foundation.
The 100 Sack Give Back will support 100 teachers nationwide, providing each with $500 worth of essential school supplies and $500 to purchase other resources for their classroom. Campbell selected four markets that have helped shape him into the person and player he’s become. Twenty-five teachers from each city where he has played professionally–Phoenix, Jacksonville, Baltimore, and Atlanta–will be selected from Kids In Need Foundation’s Supply A Teacher program as a part of the celebration.
Additionally, Campbell will donate $10,000 to support Denver South and South Miami teachers to pay homage to where he played high school and college football.
“I’ve always been someone that beleives success is best shared with the people you love,” said Campbell. “Football is an amazing job because it brings communities together. That’s why I want to share this milestone with the special communities that cheered for me and supported me throughout my career. I want to share this moment with them because teachers are the most important part of any community.”
The support comes as students return to the classroom, and supplies are much-needed in schools in underserved communities. In Kids In Need Foundation’s annual teacher survey, which included over 11,371 respondents in 33 states, educators reported that 58 percent of students arrived without the necessary supplies on their first day of school.
“Calais has consistently shown his commitment as a champion for education. While many individuals would celebrate such a notable accomplishment with a gift to themself, he’s choosing to invest in our teachers and students in under-resourced schools,” said Corey Gordon, CEO of Kids In Need Foundation. “We congratulate Calais for achieving such an incredible milestone and our gratitude for supporting teachers and students across the country, especially at this critical time in the school year.”
Campbell became the 63rd player since 1960 to reach the 100-sack mark. Since the statistic became official in 1982, he’s the 42nd player to do so. His on-field career highlights include a First-Team All-Pro in 2017 and Second-Team All-Pro selections in 2014 and 2016, and six Pro Bowl selections (2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020). He was also named to the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team. Off the field, Campbell was named the 2019 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year, considered the league’s most prestigious honor, recognizing NFL players who have exhibited excellence and whose passion to impact lives extends beyond the game. Campbell had been nominated for Man of the Year twice in his career (2011 and 2014 when he was with the Arizona Cardinals). In 2018, he was the Bart Starr Award recipient for exemplifying outstanding character and leadership in the home, field, and community.
About Kids In Need Foundation
Kids In Need Foundation helps create equitable learning spaces through the distribution of supplies and resources, investing in teachers and students in underserved schools. With the belief that every child in America should have equal opportunity and resources to engage in a quality education, Kids In Need Foundation focuses its programs and initiatives on teachers and students most under-resourced schools, those where 70 percent or more of the enrolled students are eligible for free or reduced-cost meals through the National School Lunch Program. In 2022, through its programs, National Network of Resource Centers, and coast-to-coast local partners, Kids In Need Foundation and our national network supported over 7.7 million students and 333,169 teachers in 17,472 under-resourced schools, with KINF distributing more than $143 million in free school supplies and classroom resources nationwide at no cost to schools or teachers. For more information, visit KINF.org, and join us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter: @KidsInNeed.
About CRC Foundation
The Charles Richard Campbell Foundation is a non-profit, 501 c(3) organization established in 2010 to teach skills that are not typically learned in a traditional classroom setting that are necessary for real life, such as accounting, budgeting, drug and alcohol awareness, cooking, diversity awareness, and writing. The CRC Foundation also provides college scholarships for students from families with five or more children. For more information, please visit https://www.