Author: 360pmi

The Dallas Cowboys announced today Dak Prescott as their nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, presented by Nationwide. One of the league’s most prestigious honors, this award recognizes an NFL player for outstanding community service activities off the field, as well as excellence on the field. Each of the league’s 32 nominees were announced on Tuesday.


The unprecedented challenges of the past few years spurred Prescott to broaden the mission of the community work done through his Faith Fight Finish (FFF) Foundation. FFF now focuses on 4 main initiatives: colon cancer research, mental health and suicide prevention, bridging the gap between law enforcement the communities they serve, and offering assistance to those facing life-challenging hardships.

WPMOY Nominee: Dak Prescott | 2022

“I would like to thank the Dallas Cowboys for naming me their 2022 Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee,” said Prescott. “It is a privilege for me to use this platform to influence causes that are important to me, my family and the community. If my voice can champion those who feel marginalized, need assistance, encouragement or support in an effort to make change, then I feel an obligation to speak up.”


Since being drafted in the fourth round in 2016, Prescott has developed into not only one of the NFL’s top quarterbacks, but now one of the best in franchise history.
Just this past week, Dak jumped Roger Staubach (153) and Danny White (155) into third place in Cowboys history for all-time touchdown passes, finishing the game with 156 career TDs.

Through all the success on the field, Dak has had to overcome his share of adversity, including injuries such as a season-ending ankle injury in 2020, a calf injury in 2021 and then a thumb injury this year that sidelined him for five games.


“Dak’s compassion and drive to make a difference in the lives of others is truly amazing,” said Charlotte Jones, Dallas Cowboys Executive Vice President and Chief Brand Officer. “Through his foundation he has built a legacy to honor both his mother and brother that is impacting real change. We are proud to call him our Man of the Year.”


As a nominee, Prescott will wear a Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year helmet decal through the end of the season in recognition of his accomplishments on and off the field. All 32 team winners will be highlighted as nominees and recognized for their important work during the weekend leading up to Super Bowl LVII. The 2022 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year will be announced during NFL Honors, a primetime awards special to air the Thursday before Super Bowl LVII, on NBC.
All 32 nominees will receive up to a $40,000 donation in their name to their charity of choice. The winner of the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award will receive up to a $250,000 donation to the charity of his choice. All donations are courtesy of the NFL Foundation and Nationwide.


Fans are encouraged to participate in Nationwide’s 8th annual Charity Challenge, a social media campaign designed to support and promote team nominees. Fans can vote on Twitter by using #WPMOYChallenge followed by their favorite nominee’s last name or Twitter handle. The player whose unique mention is used the most between Dec. 6 and Jan. 8 will receive a $25,000 contribution to his charity of choice, while the second and third place finishers will receive $10,000 and $5,000 donations, all courtesy of Nationwide.


Hashtag information and official rules can be found at www.nfl.com/manoftheyear.

Written by: Nick Eatman
https://www.dallascowboys.com/author/nick-eatman

Please join Dak Prescott and Soloman Thomas in a live conversation about Men and Mental Health Thursday September 8th at 3PM est moderated by Dr. Doreen Marshall.

On May 25th 2022, we had the incredible honor of hosting The North Texas Townhall in collaboration with the Dallas Cowboys, Texas Rangers Foundation and the just keep livin Foundation!  The wonderful Ryan Tillman, Founder of Breaking Barriers United, served as moderator for this phenomenal event with about 200 students in attendance, including many from Pinkston High School, North Crowley, Eastern Hills, Sam Houston and the organization, NEX Metropolitan.  Our panel consisted of members of law enforcement, educators, mental health experts, social workers and youth, including our founder Dak Prescott, Chief Noakes of the Fort Worth Police Department, Chief Jones of the Arlington Police Department, and Dr. McFarland, Superintendent of Schools of Crowley ISD.

The students in attendance brought forth transparent questions and received honest answers in return. In times like these, this was such an inspiring and necessary conversation that will help to bridge the gap between youth, community and law enforcement.  Events like these carry the power to change the trajectory of communities across the country!  We are proud to do this work and thankful to the several members of our FFF steering committee that were present and helping us do this work every day to bridge this gap between youth, community and law enforcement.  Thank you to our amazing panelists for their knowledge and insight.  We loved Dak’s message he gave our students at the end of our panel to: “be that change agent and to hold one another accountable.”

Faith Fight Finish is proud to partner with active police officer and founder of Breaking Barriers United, Ryan Tillman. We have been hosted a series of presentations at local high schools in the Dallas area. Students from North Crowley HS, Carter HS, Eastern Hills HS and South Oak Cliff HS had the opportunity to engage in role play demonstrations, learn about transparency from an officer’s perspective and participate in dialogue about how we can change the narrative between law enforcement and the community at large. FFF is hard at work to help bridge the gap and build a foundation of trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve and protect, and we are so grateful to Ryan Tillman for helping us continue this initiative! 

Follow Ryan Tillman on Instagram @breaking_barriers_united

Our 2nd annual Faith Fight Finish Gala on May 26th, 2022 was a huge success!  It was such a special event and we are so grateful for all the support we received to help us further our mission and invest in a better future by empowering individuals, families and communities to find strength through adversity.

A very special thanks to our tremendous Presenting Sponsor, White Rhino Coffee, for continuously stepping up in support of our foundation, and for all the good they do in the community! It was such a special treat having some delicious coffee for our guests at the end of the night.  It was a joy presenting the inaugural Faith Fight Finish Change Maker Award to Ryan Tillman of Breaking Barriers United, who works tirelessly to repair the bonds between youth and law enforcement.

Additionally, we were blown away by the phenomenal performance by our friend Chris Young, which made the night even more special. We loved having the amazing Kaylee Hartung once again as our Master of Ceremonies for the evening. We have so much appreciation for all our sponsors and donors who made this fabulous event possible.  

As many of you know, Faith Fight Finish was established as a tribute to Dak’s incredible mom, who lost her battle with colon cancer in 2013, and its work honors his late brother, Jace.  We focus on 4 main pillars: colon cancer research, mental health & suicide prevention, bridging the gap between law enforcement and the communities they serve and offering assistance to those facing life-challenging hardships.  

We’re profoundly grateful for the impact we’re able to make in the lives of our beneficiaries and tremendously appreciative of every single person who supports us in our efforts.

In honor of Suicide Prevention Month, and in remembrance of Dak’s brother, Jace, Faith Fight Finish has launched a limited-edition collection of t-shirts that benefit the foundation and support our efforts to prioritize mental health and end the epidemic of suicide.   

“Together, we can #StopSuicide”

@_4dak

In recognition of #NationalSuicidePreventiom, we’re joining @AFSPnational to encourage everyone to have a #RealConvo with those who may be struggling with their mental health. It’s only by learning more about what leads someone to suicide, the ways we can help to prevent it, and what resources are available that we can help #StopSuicide.

If you need help or fear you or someone you love may be at risk for suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK or text the Crisis Text Line by texting ‘TALK’ to 741741 to speak or text with a trained counselor who can provide guidance on the most appropriate next steps and resources. Calling 911 is best for situations when self-harm is occurring or is about to occur.

For Help: https://afsp.org/get-help

・・・

Message from Dak:

I invite you to join us in our mission to champion those who battle mental illness by helping them to realize their lives matter, find their purpose, always know they are not alone and to ask 4 help.

Together, we can help #StopSuicide.”

100% of the proceeds from these shirts will benefit @faithfightfinish4 and support our efforts to prioritize mental health and stop the epidemic of suicide.

Available now at represent.com/dak

In collaboration with Stand Up To Cancer, FFF established the Peggy Prescott Early Career Scientist Award in Colorectal Cancer Research and in March 2019 we awarded a first grant of $50,000 to Dr. Karin Pelka, whose research in the area of immunotherapy is expected to produce cutting-edge and innovative science for decades to come.  Alongside the other members of SU2C’s Colorectal Dream Team, Dr. Pelka is focusing on the pathways that shape myeloid cells in human CRC and aim to uncover how myeloid cells orchestrate anti-tumor immunity in MSI tumors.   In the coming year, the team is also working to provide free colonoscopy screenings in minority and medically underserved communities.

In honor of Mother’s Day 2021, Dak and the FFF Foundation hosted a virtual fundraising campaign.  Dak personally matched all donations made during this event, resulting in enough funding to award a grant to another early career scientist who will join the SU2C Colorectal Dream Team and continue making progress in the fight against this devastating disease. 

When our country was hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, FFF recognized critical areas of need and, to date, we have made grants totaling nearly $65,000 to a number of organizations providing necessary resources to first-responders and individuals most impacted by the health crisis, including: Operation Progress, Travis Frederick’s Blocking Out Hunger Foundation and Minnie’s Food Pantry. We also supported the Haughton and Shreveport Fire Departments in Louisiana by providing an AeroClave Disinfecting System to sanitize fire trucks and other local facilities, a fogger, and Personal Protection Equipment (3,500 KN95 Masks and Gloves, N-100 Respirators with filters and protective gowns).

As a Black Multiracial American, I am disgusted and unsettled! I am as optimistic as they come!

We are proud to support Travis Frederick’s Blocking Out Hunger Foundation. The Faith Fight Finish Foundation has made a donation to help with their incredible mission to provide support of inner-city and low-income children throughout the metro Dallas area by distributing meals to these children and their families during this challenging time. If you are looking for a way to give back, we encourage you to support the work that Travis Frederick’s foundation is doing to provide meals for so many families in need. Together we can Block Out Hunger!