Organization: JASON TAYLOR FOUNDATION INC
Mission: RAISE FUNDS FOR CHILDRENS PROGRAMS THE FOUNDATION SUPPORTS AND CREATES PROGRAMS THAT FACILITATE THE PERSONAL GROWTH AND EMPOWERMENT OF SOUTH FLORIDA'S CHILDREN
Activities: JASON TAYLOR READING ROOM In conjunction with each of the past thirteen school years, the Jason Taylor Foundation has held classes for the Jason Taylor Reading Room. Located at the Miramar Youth Enrichment Center, the Jason Taylor Reading Room is a multi-faceted, after-school program designed to offer a holistic approach to addressing the problem of illiteracy among inner-city youth. Middle school and high school students participated in the program four days per week for two hours per day, assisted by certified teachers and focusing on reading comprehension strategies, vocabulary building, writing skills, phonics instruction, oral reading, etc. 2017 also marked the eighth year of the Reading Room's full-time case manager who monitors and tracks students academic performance, attendance and behavior, as well as serves as a liaison between the program, the students' schools and their parents. In an effort to provide a creative outlet, the Reading Room allows students to utilize critical literacy skills as a vehicle for self expression, both written and through performance, with the Omari Hardwick bluapple Poetry Corner, a spoken word poetry component held each Friday. Through the Jason Taylor Foundation's continuing partnerships with other community-based organizations, additional extra curricular activities are made available to Reading Room students including cooking and nutritional classes, mentoring programs, field days and more.
COOL GEAR FOR THE SCHOOL YEAR For the fifteenth consecutive year, Jason Taylor held his Cool Gear for the School Year back-to-school shopping program, which serves to help build a child's self-esteem and eliminate an unnecessary distraction, allowing the child to focus on their studies and not their attire while at school. In 2019, the Jason Taylor Foundation hosted 60 underserved children at a local Old Navy store, providing each child with $300 to purchase school clothes. The children were each assisted by a celebrity shopper, including current and former Miami Dolphins players, Florida Atlantic University football players, Miami Dolphins cheerleaders and other local TV, radio and sports personalities. Prior to shopping, the children enjoyed a "pre-party" in which they were treated to dinner and music from a live DJ. Since establishing this program in 2005, the Foundation has given out nearly $270,000 in clothes.
BLUAPPLE POETRY NETWORK & LOUDER THAN A BOMB The bluapple Poetry Network, is a multi-faceted, after-school spoken word poetry program available free to students actively attending Broward County public high schools and middle schools as a result of a collaboration between the Jason Taylor Foundation and the School Board of Broward County's Diversity, Cultural Outreach and Prevention Department. The program provides an environment for students to focus on literacy, prevention issues and social awareness as vehicles for self expression, both written and through performance, ultimately empowering young people, the schools they attend and the communities in which they live. In addition, by recognizing each poetry group as a member of the school district's overall network, rather than simply as an individual program, a greater sense of community is developed with ideas, creativity and understanding being shared across district boundaries. Currently, 25 schools actively participate in the Network, a number that will grow during the 2017-18 school year. Founded by the Jason Taylor Foundation, along with actor and accomplished poet, Omari Hardwick, the bluapple Poetry Network is moderated by Darius Daughtry, who leads school instructors in workshops, both in person and on line, as he guides them through a curriculum he has tailored specifically for the students of Broward County given his experience serving as a teacher in the district.
NTEE category: Education
Secondary category: Youth Development