Georgia players partner with CFP foundation to donate $40,000 for development of schools in Athens

Several Georgia Bulldogs student-athletes helped support the Georgia Teachers Initiative by partnering with the College Football Playoff Foundation to uplift the education system in the Athens area where their campus is located.

The players, including running back Trevor Etienne, Linebacker Jalon Walker, safety Malaki Starks, and wide receiver Arian Smith, donated a total of $40,000 to the cause.

The schools that the Georgia prospects visited included Whit Davis Elementary, Barnett Shoals Elementary, Gaines Elementary, and Hillsman Middle. They donated $10,000 to each school along the route.

The College Football Playoff Foundation has a platform named the Extra Yard for Teachers (EYFT), which it uses to scale up student outcomes and support teachers in partnership with non-profits, local and sporting organizations, and sporting institutions.

The foundation has invested significantly in supporting PK-12 teachers, with an estimated $80 million utilized all over the country over the past ten years to provide resources for the education sector.

Atlanta, Georgia makes CFP history

Atlanta will become the first city to host the college football playoff twice after hosting for the first time in 2018. The Bulldogs will also hope to return to the CFP after missing out last year due to a SEC (Southeastern Conference) championship game loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide.

During the announcement of the venue, Robert Williams, the principal of the M. Agnes Jones Elementary School where the announcement was made, praised the initiative.

“It is an amazing feeling as the principal of M. Agnes Jones to see the investment of our city and the college football program foundation. We’re seeing the impact beyond just football. I’m delighted to have them here and to be the host of this press event,” Williams said.

Britton Banowsky, the CFP executive director also spoke about the initiative during the launch.

“We’re the largest sports organization investing in education in the country,” said Britton Banowsky. “We launched our innovation grant through the Georgia Teachers Initiative.”

According to a report by the foundation, since the last time Atlanta hosted the college football playoffs six years ago, the initiative it created had a $4 million impact on the public school system of the city.