The Rams Fitness First Club allows youth the opportunity to earn tickets to Rams home games by putting “fitness first” and pledging to be active and make healthy choices.  The Rams Fitness First Club is an extension of Play 60, an initiative of the NFL, which focuses on the health and wellness of young fans by encouraging them to be active daily for at least 60 minutes.  The process for being selected as a Rams Fitness First Club member begins with a pledge to Play 60 minutes a day and requires a plan on how the pledge will be put into action.  Those who are selected receive a unique game day experience that includes a certificate acknowledging their pledge, a Rams Play 60 t-shirt, a Rams rally item, the opportunity to walk across the field of the Edward Jones Dome prior to a game and a concession voucher.

An organization with a long tradition of embracing diversity, the Rams were the first professional sports team in the modern era to sign an African-American player — even before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball.  Years later, the team remains committed to promoting diversity and inclusion.  After helping launch the Diversity Awareness Partnership (DAP) in 2000, the Rams have continued to unite over 100 organizations in the effort to reduce bias and discrimination, and promote the value of difference among the people of St. Louis.  An example of this collaboration is the Edward Jones’ Give Respect — Get Respect Youth Program that has engaged middle and high school students, teachers and members of today’s workforce in this pursuit of inclusion and acceptance.  For more information, visit www.dapstl.org.

The Healthy Youth Partnership (HYP) is a collaborative of more than 75 community organizations from diverse sectors, which were brought together by the Rams Foundation and the Greater St. Louis Community Foundation, to combat youth obesity and advance the health of children and youth in the bi-state region.  Together, they have implemented a set of pilot programs, shared best practices to improve current programming and built a network of resources to foster a regional commitment to health outcomes for the area’s children. For more information, visitwww.healthyyouthpartnership.org.

The St. Louis Rams in partnership with CHARACTERplus® has supported the development and expansion of important initiatives that help school communities build consensus around the values and character traits that should be integrated into the culture and curricula of the school.  The programmatic initiatives include the St. Louis Rams Huddle-Up micro web site and the Huddle-Up advisory board.  This year, the Rams will sponsor the Missouri Schools of Character Awards program as well as the development of a Rams Caring Community School at Patrick Henry Elementary.

CHARACTERplus®, a project of Cooperating School District, works to advance the cause of character education and sustain its impact on the lives of educators and students by: designing, promoting and facilitating processes and best practices; serving educators and enhancing their commitment to character education; actively recruiting and developing community support; and continually evaluating the impact of programs and services.

In an effort to integrate long-standing support of literacy and education with a priority on health and fitness, the St. Louis Rams will partner with Go St. Louis to offer a challenge to area youth to a Read, Right and Run Marathon, which includes reading 26 books, “righting” the community with 26 good deeds, and running 26 miles over a six-month period.

The Rams and St. Louis Public Schools have collaborated to create the Rams Fitness Team, a program implemented in the St. Louis City schools that includes football instruction through the inclusion of flag football and NFL Punt, Pass and Kick clinics as a part of the curricula.  Through a collaborative arrangement with the Healthy Youth Partnership, professional development opportunities are provided to all physical education teachers. The Rams Fitness Team also recognizes the importance of physical education teachers in today’s schools through the Physical Education Teacher of the Year program.

The Rams have joined with the NFL to identify opportunities to enhance, promote and recognize positive aspects of football at every level. The team, with support from the local chapter of the National Football Foundation and USA Football, has led the way in promoting amateur football and youth development, sportsmanship and academic excellence.  As a part of these efforts, the Rams host the St. Louis Rams/USA Football Youth Coaching School.  Additional efforts include saluting the accomplishments of local high school coaches through the High School Coach of the Week program, providing free tackle football camps to area middle school athletes through the Rams Junior Player Development Program and offering pre-collegiate football and life skills instruction through the NFL High School Player Development Program/ 7 on 7 Tournament.  The Rams have also partnered with PHL, Inc. and the NFL Grassroots Football Fields grant program to refurbish and maintain St. Louis Public School athletic fields.  Financially, the Rams have committed more than $650,000 to provide safe and accessible football fields in the bi-state area.

In honor of late Rams’ owner and chairman, Georgia Frontiere, the St. Louis Rams have renamed their annual Quarterback Awards the Georgia Frontiere Community Quarterback Awards.  The program will continue to award $20,000 to local non-profits in recognition of outstanding volunteer service.  Since the program’s inception in 2000, the Rams have donated more than $150,000 to community groups through this initiative.

The Georgia Frontiere Community Quarterback Award honors individuals who exemplify leadership, dedication, and a commitment to improving the community in which they live. Non-profit organizations are encouraged to nominate individuals, age 13 or over, who serve local charities in a volunteer capacity only and receive no monetary compensation for their efforts.

The Grassroots Program is funded by NFL club owners, and administered in partnership with the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC). The initiative provides non-profit, neighborhood-based organizations with financing and technical assistance to improve the quality and safety of local football fields and parks. In conjunction with this effort, the Rams have helped provide more than $600,000 to renovate area fields at Matthews-Dickey Boys Club, Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Club, the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Boys and Girls Club, and Forest Park’s Aviation Field.  In 2008, the Rams are working with PHL, Inc. to refurbish the football field at Tandy Park in the Ville neighborhood of the City of St. Louis.

Introduced in 1999, Hometown Huddle is a day for NFL players and coaches from all 32 teams to come together and participate in various community service activities through their local United Way partners. In addition to this specific league wide initiative, the Rams continue to show their leadership and commitment to the United Way of Greater St. Louis throughout the year and have donated more than $700,000 since moving to St. Louis in 1995.

The Rams, through the NFL Youth Football Fund, have provided grants totaling $100,000 to local Play It Smart high school programs as part of a $1 million commitment by the NFL and its clubs over two years. Play It Smart is a unique program that uses the game of football to assist students with personal development, decision-making, responsibility and leadership skills. The objective of the program is to strengthen students’ academic and life skills as well as physical abilities.

During the holidays, the Rams team up with the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis (BAMSL) to open the Edward Jones Dome for more than 3,000 underprivileged children. The kids enjoy holiday gifts, live entertainment, a book corner, activity booths, arts and crafts and visits with Santa. Rams players, wives, cheerleaders and staff are actively involved as volunteers.

Rams women have joined to assist in the annual Back to School Store. The project is sponsored by the National Council of Jewish Women-St. Louis Section and provides 800 elementary school students from low-income families with new clothing, winter coats, shoes, backpacks, personal care items, and school supplies – free of charge. The children are selected by St. Louis area social service agencies and congregations. In addition to clothing and school supplies, children receive free dental screenings as well as free books, as part of the Rams literacy efforts.

The Rams support Variety the Children’s Charity of St. Louis by hosting the annual Bikes for Kids program, which provides new bicycles to children from Variety partner agencies. In addition to a bike, each child receives a helmet and fitting, bike lock, t-shirt and safety instruction. To date, Bikes for Kids has provided bikes for more than 2,000 children.  Each year, the Bikes for Kids recipients are also invited to be special guests at a Rams home game.

The Rams have helped to raise more than $160,000 through Bowl-a-RAM-a, an annual event that benefits the Epilepsy Foundation of St. Louis. Through prevention, education and advocacy, the Epilepsy Foundation enables people with seizures to participate in all life experiences. The proceeds raised from this event benefit the communities of eastern and southern Missouri as well as southeastern Illinois.

Recognizing the significant daily contributions of our nations’ military, as well as the St. Louis metropolitan area police and fire departments, the Rams have honored these “everyday heroes” in a variety of ways over the past several years, including in-game salutes and visits to Russell Training Center.

Each year, Rams executive vice president and general counsel, Bob Wallace opens up the Edward Jones Dome for the annual Giant Steps of St. Louis Dinner/Auction benefiting autism education.

The Rams have been involved with the Komen St. Louis Race for the Cure since the event’s inception in 1999. Participation has included sponsorship of the event as well as having players and cheerleaders at the finish line to congratulate participants and hand out pink roses to breast cancer survivors. This year, Rams running back Steven Jackson and former defensive lineman D’Marco Farr, both who had previously served as Race for the Cure honorary chairs, returned as honorary co-chairs of the event as part of the Race’s 10-year anniversary. In 2008, the Rams also formed “Team Georgia” and invited the public to join in the fight against breast cancer in memory of the Rams late team owner and chairman, Georgia Frontiere, who lost her valiant fight with breast cancer in January of 2008. In its inaugural year, Team Georgia raised more than $23,000 to fund breast cancer education, screening and treatment programs both locally and nationally.

Each year, the Rams offensive line hosts families in need at Russell Training Center where they serve them Thanksgiving dinner.

Although mostly recognized for their entertaining performances on the sidelines, the majority of the Rams cheerleaders' time is spent giving back to the community. The squad averages more than 550 hours of charitable service and 850 appearances in the bi-state region annually. In addition to local engagements, Rams cheerleaders entertain both nationally and internationally at military bases. Again, this year, the cheerleaders will donate the proceeds from their annual calendar to the Rams Foundation, which supports programs designed to positively impact youth in the areas of education, literacy, health and youth football. Last year, the cheerleaders contributed $25,000 to the Rams Foundation.

The Rams Rookie Club provides service to the community through a variety of volunteer efforts designed specifically for first year players.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Metro St. Louis and the Rams have been teaming up each year to make wishes come true for local children since the team arrived in St. Louis in 1995. Rams players assist in Make-A-Wish’s fundraising efforts by “working” as celebrity servers. Over the years, the event has raised more than $630,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

In cooperation with the American Red Cross, the Rams host an annual blood drive. As part of the festivities, donors have the opportunity to mingle with Rams players and wives, watch a Rams highlight video and receive a commemorative T-shirt.

Each year, the Rams host the Taste of the NFL-St. Louis, a food and wine tasting extravaganza, featuring samples from St. Louis’ top restaurants and beverage providers. Attendees are able to sample specialty foods, bid on unique items and meet the participating chefs and various Rams players. Taste of the NFL-St. Louis has raised more than $275,000 for the St. Louis Area Foodbank and the St. Louis Sports Commission.

Annually, the Rams players, cheerleaders and staff work with the Urban League of St. Louis and Schnucks Markets to distribute more than 1,000 turkey dinners to local families for Thanksgiving.