Detroit's Jason Cabinda Named Week 7 NFLPA Community MVP
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Jason Cabinda has been selected as the Week 7 NFLPA Community MVP after making two visits in the past week to Detroit-area schools. These sessions were part of a weekly, season-long tour where he hosts fun-filled days featuring STEM learning activities, prizes and plenty of smiles.
“Being named NFLPA Community MVP is a great honor!” Cabinda said. “I take great pride in my efforts to serve youth and try my best to be an inspiration to them.”
On October 13 during the Detroit Lions’ bye week, Cabinda fulfilled his promise to visit Priest Elementary-Middle School. There, he spoke with hundreds of sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders about his journey to the NFL, the importance of education and the work ethic it takes to achieve your dreams.
The fullback also held a Q&A session and announced an essay contest for a chance to win Lions and Detroit Pistons tickets, with food and transportation costs covered by him. After the assembly concluded, Cabinda hung around for another hour to further connect with the students and sign autographs.
Five days later, Cabinda made a return visit to Davison Elementary-Middle School – the same place where he distributed more than 800 STEM-based books, hosted a board game play day and launched the Jason Cabinda Award program during his second annual back-to-school bash in September. Tuesday’s visit served as a reward for those students who had earned Jason Cabinda Awards over the past two months for demonstrating academic excellence, consistent attendance and/or good behavior. The recipients were able to pick out a prize and play board games with Cabinda (including one of his favorites, the math challenge “24”) during a memorable afternoon that also featured Lions teammates Tim Boyle and Amani Oruwariye.
“I truly believe that it takes a village to raise a child, and I want to show the youth of Detroit that we here at the Detroit Lions organization are their village,” Cabinda said. “We want to see them achieve great heights in life by providing them with the resources, opportunity, and motivation they need to rise.”
As a son of a teacher and lover of math, Cabinda’s passion for education and desire to positively impact kids are clear during his frequent outreach initiatives in tandem with the non-profit Athletes For Charity. During his six school visits so far this year, the Penn State alum has twice served as guest principal for the day, provided more than $2500 in prizes, donated hundreds of STEM-based books, sponsored more than 100 local students and family members to attend Lions games and engaged with countless kids to show them how fun learning can be.
For his next event, Cabinda will host a virtual meet-and-greet that will give students from 100 Detroit-area schools the opportunity to hear his story, ask questions and earn a chance to win Lions tickets. Then, in November, the fifth-year veteran will make a third visit to Davison Elementary-Middle School to take the latest round of Jason Cabinda Award winners on a field trip to an arcade for food and games.
In addition to working with Athletes For Charity’s STEM & Literacy program as well as the Detroit Lions Academy, Cabinda is an active partner with Wisdom Passage, which is a non-profit focused on creating career paths for Black students. He also hosted a free, football camp to benefit youth in Cleveland during the offseason.
In honor of Cabinda being named this week’s Community MVP, the NFLPA will make a $10,000 contribution to his charity or foundation of choice. Cabinda will also take part in a virtual or in-person visit to a school or children’s hospital. Along with the other 2022 Community MVPs, he will also become eligible for this year’s Alan Page Community Award, which is the highest honor that the NFLPA can bestow upon a player.
The Community MVP campaign is part of the NFLPA’s continued efforts to support the year-round, civic outreach and engagement of its player members. Please visit the NFLPA Community MVP website to learn more about the program.
2022 NFLPA Community MVP winners:
Week 1: Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns
Week 2: Terry McLaurin, Washington Commanders
Week 3: Cody Davis, New England Patriots
Week 4: Darren Waller, Las Vegas Raiders
Week 5: John Metchie III, Houston Texans
Week 6: Justin Simmons, Denver Broncos
Week 7: Jason Cabinda, Detroit Lions
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