Some of my favorite posts here are when we can call attention to Jets doing good deeds. Braylon Edwards is doing some very good work in the community and deserves to be recognized for it.
Edwards, who will be a free agent when the NFL labor impasse is resolved, fulfilled a promise today that he made to 100 eight-graders in Cleveland years ago. On May 16, 2007, Edwards promised $1 million in academic scholarship money toward college tuitions at the start of the ADVANCE 100 Program, an educational intiative established by the Braylon Edwards Foundation, in the Cleveland Municipal School District. Students and their parents signed a pledge at the time to fulfill their end of the bargain: Graduate from high school.
The students were provided academic assistance through tutors, mentors and workshops throughout the process. Edwards, who was just in his third year in the NFL when he decided to give back to the community, had two requirements for the students: 1) Provide 15 hours of community service annually and 2) Maintain a 2.5 or better grade point average.