NEW PARIS – A day with several former Ohio State Buckeyes will be more than just a chance to have a meet and greet. It will be a chance to further expand on the educational process for students at National Trail while also raising funds for two local food banks and the school district’s economically disadvantaged student-athletes.
On Friday, March 4, Roy Hall, former Ohio State wide receiver and co-founder of the Driven Foundation, will be part of a day-long series of events at the school.
The Driven Community Outreach Day will provide the National Trail community with a unique and exciting outreach and fundraising opportunity. Local businesses, organizations, and former Ohio State Buckeye Football players collaborate to impact students (kindergarten through 12th grade) and raise money to support local charities and school districts throughout the state of Ohio.
Community Outreach Days consist of elementary school reading visits, middle school motivational assemblies, high school group discussions, student food drives, a Breakfast with the Buckeyes morning event and a charity basketball game.
The funds for the event are being raised through sponsorships and ticket sales. The level of sponsorships range from Silver ($500) to Scarlet ($2,500) and come with a variety of benefits for day.
According to National Trail Local Schools Superintendent Jeff Parker, half of the funds from the event will go to support the Driven Foundation to continue community outreach, while the other half will be split between the two food banks in the National Trail Local School District and the school district’s economically disadvantaged student-athletes.
“This is just another spoke in the wheel of education that we’re trying to attack,” Parker said. “This is an event, but this is just a piece of what we’re trying to do.”
The food banks benefiting from the event are the New Paris Community Foodbank and the Monroe Township at Ware’s Chapel.
According to its website, Driven is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded in 2008 by former NFL and Ohio State University Football teammates Hall and Antonio Smith.
Driven’s infrastructure is built on recycling community adversity and difficulties, and using them to motivate those who are challenged, to produce a persevering, “never quit” mentality.
“We accomplish this by offering specialized events and programs that combat community and individual shortcomings that seemed impossible to overcome. Driven is a dependable organization of versatility,” its founders said.
Since 2008, Driven has distributed approximately 500,000 pounds of free food to more than 4,200 Ohio families. Additionally, the Driven Mentorship Program for young men, birthday parties for children facing life threatening illnesses, motivational speaking, and Community Outreach Day fundraisers for other Ohio organizations are just a few vehicles in which the Driven Foundation impacts the lives of families and at-risk youth.
For more information about the event, contact Parker at 937-437-3333, Ext. 1101 or by email at [email protected].
