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Packers Staying Busy in the Community
posted 06/14/00
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| T Mike Wahle participated in both the Brett Favre Celebrity Softball Game and the Harley Davidson Run. |
This offseason has been anything but that for several Packers involved in community events and public appearances. So far this year, Packers players have been involved in a variety of speaking engagements, hospital visits, and charity appearances in Brown County and surrounding areas.
Gill Byrd, Executive Director of Player Programs and Community Affairs, says player involvement in the area is at an all-time high.
"Since I have been here I have been pleasantly surprised by the generosity that these group of players, young and old, have shown," said Byrd, a four-time all-pro defensive back for the San Diego Chargers, who joined the Packers under his current title last year.
He considers last month's Christmas in May project one of the biggest successes of the offseason. The annual event allows members of the Packers to work with other area organizations to repair and refurbish houses of low-income elderly or disabled homeowners who are unable to maintain them on their own. This year, the Packers helped rebuild the home of Gerald and Marlene Taeguin of Green Bay.
On Saturday, June 3, players Ross Verba, Marco Rivera, Joe Andruzzi, Scott McGarrahan, Mike Flanagan, and Mike Wahle, along with Packers Corporate Security Officer Jerry Parins, took part in the Muscular Dystrophy Association's annual Harley Davidson Run. The bikers left Lambeau and headed for Brillion, Wis., before turning around and finishing the day in Green Bay with a merchandise raffle and auction.
Parins, who now heads the event along with Ken McCoy of the local hog chapter, said over 1,750 bikers raised in excess of $66,000 to benefit the MDA of Northeast Wisconsin.
"We started this eight years ago with Coach (Mike) Holmgren and plan on doing it every year for as long as we can," Parins said. "The great thing about it is all of the money stays right here in our backyard."
On Sunday, June 11, Brett Favre stepped up to the plate with several teammates at his first ever Brett Favre Celebrity Softball Game at Fox Cities Stadium in Appleton, Wis., in front of 6,279 supporters. The game benefited the Brett Favre Forward Foundation, whose mission is to provide aid to disadvantaged or disabled children that reside in Wisconsin or Mississippi, Favre's home state.
In recent years the foundation has made sizable contributions to charities such as Salvation Army, the local Boys & Girls Club, and Special Olympics.
Over 20 current Packers, along with several local radio personalities, participated in the event.
As football season draws nearer, Byrd does not foresee a noticeable change in the players' attitudes toward their off-the-field responsibilities.
"The players have made a conscious decision to be an integral part of this community by understanding that they are in an awesome position of developing and changing the moral fiber of football fans of all ages," he said.
Keep checking our website for news about your favorite players working with local non-profit groups and charities. Every week until the kickoff of the 2000 regular season, Packers.com will spotlight a player or coach that is making a difference in the community.
To get a player, coach, or staff member involved with your charity event, please call the Green Bay Packers Fan Information Hotline at 920/496-7722, ext. 4.
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