Keeping up with statistics is an important element of owning and operating an NFL team.
On the field of play, success or failure is measured in points scored, games won, yards gained, passes completed, points allowed, and so on.
Another way an NFL franchise measures its success is what it accomplishes off the field. According to members of the local nonprofit community, the Jacksonville Jaguars and majority owners Wayne and Delores Barr Weaver have brought the equivalent of a Super Bowl trophy to their home city every year since they came to Jacksonville with their team.
“As soon as they arrived, they helped people start thinking about philanthropy in a new way. The Weavers raised the bar in terms of both corporate giving and personal giving,” said Rena Coughlin, CEO of the Nonprofit Center of Northeast Florida, the formation of which was supported by three consecutive annual grants from the Weavers.
She said there is a long list of organizations that have been helped by the Jaguars Foundation, which is closely associated with the team, and by the Weaver Family Foundation, which has a slightly different focus and represents the Weavers’ personal commitment to their community.
Since 1995, the two foundations have donated more than $46.8 million to local organizations, said Peter Racine, executive director of the Jaguars Foundation who will become president.
Last year alone, in addition to cash grants, non-cash awards were made of more than 11,300 tickets to Jaguars home games, with an in-kind value of more than $650,000.
In addition, since 2002, the Weavers and Jaguars have contributed more than $1.3 million to organizations in North Florida through the auction of seats in their suite at EverBank Field, away game trips and the private use of the owner’s suite for the Florida-Georgia and Gator Bowl football games.
Coughlin said one of the most significant gifts to the community from the Weaver Family Foundation was made three years ago, when the couple created an endowment administered by The Community Foundation in Jacksonville that will benefit 22 local nonprofit organizations for years.
Nina Waters, president of the Community Foundation, said the total investment was more than $10 million and is in the form of individual endowments established for each organization.
“The Weavers have done as much for philanthropy as they have for sports. They moved us to be more of a first-tier city in terms of philanthropy,” said Waters.
One of the endowment beneficiaries is Volunteers in Medicine, a walk-in clinic Downtown that provides free routine medical care for pre-qualified people who have jobs but can’t afford health insurance.
The income from the endowment helps pay for prescription medication and medical equipment and supplies, said Vice President and COO Jeff Matthews.
“It’s our first, and so far only, endowment. The economy has made it tough to get funding, so it’s very nice to have the support – and it’s in perpetuity,” Matthews said.
Football fans are focused on the future of the team following Tuesday’s report of its sale to a new owner and his intentions as to whether to keep the Jaguars in Jacksonville.
The nonprofit sector is hoping the couple who has made such a positive impact will continue their commitment to the community.
“When I heard the news, the first thing I thought was I hope the Weavers will stay in town. They are terrific citizens,” said Coughlin.
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