NFL Player Scores with St. Louis Schools

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Isaac Bruce may have been in his off-season this summer, but he scored big last month when the St. Louis School Board adopted a program that Bruce helped create to promote healthy living in public schools.

“I really wanted to share my passion of living a healthy lifestyle,” Bruce said. “It’s something I live by each and every day.”

Bruce, who played for the St. Louis Rams during the first 14 years of his career, founded the Isaac Bruce Foundation in 2006 to fight childhood obesity and to teach underprivileged children the importance of healthy living. Shortly after it was established, the foundation teamed up with the Healthy Youth Partnership, a coalition of community organizations that provides healthy activities, tips and resources to help fight obesity in the St. Louis area.

Through the partnership, the foundation began offering a snack room that provided healthy snacks and distributed healthy lifestyle tips to students at three schools in the St. Louis public school system. The Isaac Bruce Foundation/Healthy Youth Partnership program also focused on professional development for teachers and brought physical fitness to the classroom by donating fitness equipment to schools that lack basic resources. As a result of the program’s success, the school board decided in July to expand the initiative to include every school in the district.

“I am extremely excited about the work that the Isaac Bruce Foundation has been able to accomplish in such a short time,” Bruce said. “We have been able to see the impact these programs are having on youth, and I’m really looking forward to what we are going to be able to do in the near future.”

Bruce said he was especially happy that the St. Louis schools will be integrating the Health and Wellness Policy. “Now the Isaac Bruce Foundation through the Healthy Youth Partnership has the unique ability to expand our services beyond our initial three schools to every school in the district.”

Bruce, whose achievements include a Super Bowl win, said he would like to become a reverend after he leaves the NFL. He sees his next career as a continuation of his current commitment to giving . Through his foundation, he hopes to pass on the spirit of giving to the youth he serves.

“I hope that they will imitate what I am doing as far as giving back,” he said. “I want them to have the knowledge to live a healthy life and make positive decisions”

For more information about the Isaac Bruce Foundation, go to www.isaacbruce.org.