Calais Campbell
DEFENSIVE END
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
The 2018 recipient of the NFL's Bart Starr Award, Calais Campell sought to elevate his charitable giving for the 2019 season and introduced a new initiative for the 2019 NFL season. Campbell's Season of Giving, a fundraising campaign based on Calais' on-field performance, pledges a specific dollar amount for several metrics: a Jaguars win ($1,000), sack ($5,000), half of sack ($2500), tackle for loss ($2,000) and a blocked kick/turnover ($10,000). Calais' foundation, The CRC Foundation, chose four deserving charities as part of his Season of Giving, with funds going to Feeding Northeast Florida based on his September performances, the Clara White Mission (October), the Wounded Warrior Project (November) and the United Way (December). Prior to the return to his hometown when the Jaguars faced the Broncos on Sept. 29, 2019, Calais donated an additional $5,000 each to several Denver-based charities: the Beckwourth Outdoor Education, Denver Police Athletic League, Hiawatha Davis Rec Center (where he spent time as a kid) and the Rose Andom Center.
This Man of the Year nomination is Calais' third of his career, as he was the Arizona Cardinals' nomination for the award in 2011 and 2014. Alongside his mother, Natea, and seven siblings, Calais formed the CRC Foundation in 2009 and has engaged in numerous charitable initiatives throughout his 12-year NFL career. The CRC Foundation, which is named for his late father, Charles, who passed away in 2003, is committed to the enhancement of the community through the teaching of critical life skills to young people. Through sports, creative talents, vocational skills, financial skills and quality health and nutrition, the CRC Foundation is dedicated to developing young people into empowered and self-aware leaders for the future.
Since signing with the Jaguars in 2017, Calais has embraced his new community with enthusiasm. He annually hosts Christmas with Calais, a holiday shopping spree for local kids who have completed extra lessons in financial literacy. He donates meals during Thanksgiving to families in need. Calais has dedicated time and resources to the Ronald McDonald House, the benefactor of his foundation's bowling event in 2018. He hosted a coding camp alongside Microsoft and the Boys & Girls Club of Northeast Florida in the spring of 2018, providing 25 kids with the chance to learn more about career opportunities in technology. In June 2019, he welcomed 250 kids at the Calais Campbell JaxPAL Youth Football and STEM Camp, combining his football acumen and interest in mentoring today's youth through education. Campbell has also made semi-weekly visits to Northwestern Middle School as part of his CRC Book Club, fostering a reading-friendly community at an underperforming school in Downtown Jacksonville. He has made multiple appearances around Northeast Florida, speaking to students at schools such as Edward Waters College and Raines High School to offer them encouragement and a chance to talk about issues of social justice.
Calais is the 2018 Bart Starr Award Winner Recipient and the 2015 Pop Warner Humanitarian Award. This award is given to an individual who portrays both outstanding athletic achievement and high humanitarian principles while serving as an inspiration to the youth of today.
