The Baltimore Ravens selected three outstanding community volunteers as 2010 Community Quarterback Award recipients this week. Funded by NFL Charities and the Ravens All Community Team Foundation (RACTF), the Community Quarterback Award recognizes individuals who exhibit leadership, dedication and commitment to bettering their local communities.
The three honorees were saluted at M&T Bank Stadium on Nov. 28, when the Ravens hosted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Each Community Quarterback received tickets for themselves and a guest, as well as Ravens gifts, a personalized Ravens jersey and a $2,500 grant to their respective nonprofit organization. The three recipients were also recognized on the field prior to kickoff.
The 2010 Community Quarterbacks and their accomplishments are listed below:
Colleen McCarrick,Valley Theatre, Inc.* *
Colleen's Valley Theatre grants children of all ages in the Myersville, Md., area the opportunity to use their artistic interests and talents to serve those in need. Enlisting local school children to act, dance and sing in her summer performances, Colleen not only introduces youth to the world on stage, but provides an outlet for them to serve the local community. All proceeds from the performances – often held for local nursing home residents, day care children and disadvantaged youth – are used to support struggling families, children and individuals. Since 2002, when Colleen started Valley Theatre at the age of 12, the organization has engaged over 500 youth participants and has raised over $26,000 for various charities and needy community members.
Perry Savoy,Y of Central Maryland
For more than 10 years, Perry has supported and worked as a volunteer at the Y of Central Maryland. He has served as a volunteer member of the Y's Baltimore City Head Start Policy Council, served on the volunteer board of the Druid Hill Family Center Y and currently serves on the Y's Baltimore City Community Advisory Board while fulfilling his position as Philanthropy Chair. Since 2008, Perry has also assumed the role of chair for the Y's annual tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In 2008, under Perry's leadership, the annual tribute raised $300,000 that was put toward renovating the Druid Hill Family Center Y. The funds allowed for renovations of the facility's gymnasium, teen center, lobby area and fitness room, as well as the addition of a state-of-the-art computer center.
Paul Schafer,The P.J. Schafer Memorial Fund
After his son P.J. passed away at the age of 20 due to a heart attack while playing college lacrosse, Paul took the initiative to raise awareness and fund research for premature heart disease and sudden cardiac death. Each year, Paul plans and executes the P.J. Schafer Memorial Golf Tournament to support the work of the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease. In the past seven years, his efforts have raised over $130,000 for the cause. Additionally, Paul has provided scholarships for students at Catonsville High School and the Community College of Baltimore County, as well as donated $10,000 to the Catonsville High athletic department for the funding of a new scoreboard. Aside from his work with the memorial fund, Paul is a little league baseball coach and is also actively involved with Habitat for Humanity and the Boy Scouts of America.
Established in 1973, NFL Charities is a nonprofit organization that allows NFL clubs and players to collectively make grants to charitable and worthwhile causes on a national level.
