NEW ORLEANS – On Nov. 1, the Players Coalition awarded $40,000 to Devoted Dreamers Academy to provide scholarships to student athletes. The Players Coalition is a nonprofit focused on social justice and racial equality founded by former NFL players Anquan Boldin and Malcolm Jenkins.
The Devoted Dreamers Foundation, a nonprofit founded by New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis and his wife Tamela, connects “young men and women of the future to the resources needed to make their biggest dreams a reality.” The Davises founded the organization to create a new education model for 8th through 12th grade youth centered on faith-based entrepreneurship, personalized education, sports business and elite athletic training.
In its inaugural year, the academy will cover a first-year scholarship for two students with the greatest financial need to attend camps, after-school programs and school. The academy itself will enroll young people demonstrating the greatest potential across academics, athletics and character development with the intention to provide opportunities for excellence beyond secondary school that otherwise would not be available to them.
“As a husband, father and community member of Orleans Parish, it is essential to me to develop and invest in the youth of the Crescent City. With the help of Players Coalition and many invested partners, Devoted Dreamers Academy is reimagining education opportunities for students with an unparalleled whole child approach emphasizing academic, athletic, spiritual and character development,” said Davis.
DDA will use the funds to emphasize digital literacy across all curriculums and ensure scholarships go to students who have experienced setbacks or missed opportunities due to direct impacts by the digital divide. Scholarships will include all necessary devices and connectivity access for students
The $40,000 donation is part of the larger Players Coalition Charitable Foundation fund that awards annual education grants to organizations advancing STEAM curriculum in underinvested communities while closing the digital divide.