The Cincinnati Bengals and the NFL Foundation’s Club Matching Athletic Trainer Grant program are teaming up to give $25,000 to Kettering Health Foundation. The funds will be matched by the Kettering Health Foundation for a grand total of $50,000. All of the money will be donated to Dayton public schools to offset the costs of athletic trainers and athletic training services.
Rick Thie, president of Kettering Health Foundation, said, “High quality athletic training services are essential to keeping our student athletes safe and at their best while playing the sports they love. Thanks to the NFL Foundation, we are able to support continued access to these important services as we work to promote the wellbeing of high school athletes in our community.”
According to Kettering Health Foundation’s announcement, the grant will benefit, “approximately 5,000 student-athletes at public schools in Greater Dayton.”
The NFL Foundation has a long history of supporting local communities, particularly youth and high school football teams. The foundation was first founded in 1973 as ‘NFL Charities’ the first nonprofit established by a professional sports organization. In 2012, it officially became the NFL Foundation. The Athletic Trainer Grant in one of dozens of grant programs the NFL Foundation supports.
Each year the application for NFL teams is due in the fall, and the team must choose a healthcare provider or hospitals to work with. This year, the Bengals partnered with the Kettering Health Foundation to bring the grant to the following Dayton schools:
- Bethel High School
- Cedarville High School
- Eaton High School
- Fairborn High School
- Hamilton High School
- Kettering Fairmont High School
- Miamisburg High School
- National Trail High School
- Northridge High School
- Oakwood High School
- Preble Shawnee High School
- Stebbins High School
- Trotwood High School
- Twin Valley South High School
- Valley View High School
- West Carrollton High School
- Xenia High School
