Pittsburgh's Alex Highsmith Named Week 1 NFLPA Community MVP
PITTSBURGH’S ALEX HIGHSMITH NAMED WEEK 1 NFLPA COMMUNITY MVP
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Alex Highsmith has been named the Week 1 NFLPA Community MVP after he hosted his third annual Back to School Bash at the La Rosa Youth Club in McKeesport, Pennsylvania.
“It is a true honor to be named the Week 1 NFLPA Community MVP. I know that God has blessed me with this platform to be a blessing to others and that is the driving force behind the work I do in the community,” the Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker said.
On August 19, Highsmith and his team provided backpacks filled with school supplies, books, water bottles and nutritious to-go meals to more than 300 local students. The event also featured free haircut stations and fun activities for the kids to enjoy, all designed to help families prepare for a successful school year. This year’s event was the largest one to date, expanding his foundation’s reach in the Pittsburgh area.
“Through my foundation, the Alex Highsmith Family Foundation, we strive to positively impact the lives of the youth across multiple areas,” Highsmith said. “I want to be remembered not just for what I do on the field, but for the lives I impacted off the field. That’s what it’s all about and that’s what is truly long-lasting.”
Since being drafted by the Steelers in 2020, the fifth-year veteran has solidified his legacy as a servant leader in Pittsburgh by hosting coat drives, Thanksgiving food distributions and other efforts rooted in his foundation’s seven pillars – physical fitness, nutrition, athletic preparation, family involvement as well as academic, emotional and social support.
Highsmith’s charitable work isn’t limited to his team city He continues to give back to the community where it all started for him: Wilmington, North Carolina. Highsmith hosts an annual youth football camp in his hometown every summer, has given over $20,000 in scholarships to high school seniors in the Wilmington area and has partnered with several local YMCAs for various initiatives.
The City of Wilmington recognized him earlier this year for all he’s done for the community, naming marking April 6 as “Alex Highsmith Day.”
In honor of Highsmith being named this week's Community MVP, the NFLPA is making a $10,000 contribution to his foundation or charity of choice. In turn, Highsmith will take part in a special visit to a school or children's hospital. Along with the other 2024-25 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.
For its 11th season, the Community MVP program is teaming up with two supporting partners: Young Minds Inspired (YMI) and Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBSA). As the nation's leading provider of free educational outreach programs, YMI will bring this year’s NFLPA Community MVPs to classrooms across the country will feature this year's NFLPA Community MVPs through a series of lesson plans about community service, inspired by the players' philanthropic work and the program's artwork created by Heartlent Group. BBBSA will also welcome this season’s Community MVPs into its 250+ locations across the country, providing these athletes with more opportunities to engage with youth through its volunteer supported mentoring network.
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.
2024-25 NFLPA Community MVP winners:
Week 1: Alex Highsmith, Pittsburgh Steelers
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The National Football League Players Association is the union for professional football players in the National Football League. Established in 1956, the NFLPA has a long history of assuring proper recognition and representation of players’ interests. The NFLPA has shown that it will do whatever is necessary to assure that the rights of players are protected—including ceasing to be a union, if necessary, as it did in 1989. In 1993, the NFLPA again was officially recognized as the union representing the players and negotiated a landmark Collective Bargaining Agreement with the NFL. The current CBA will govern the sport through the 2030 NFL season. Learn more at www.nflpa.com.