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Philadelphia Eagles star QB Jalen Hurts recently donated $200,000 to local Philadelphia schools to go towards much-needed air conditioning units. Dr. Tony B. Watlington Sr., the superintendent of the School District of Philadelphia, thanked Hurts for his donation, saying, “More than half of the schools in the district lack appropriate air-conditioning. When the temperature climbs higher than 86 to 90 degrees, we too often have to let our kids go home early, and that really impacts student achievement.”
Hurts’ donation will benefit 10 schools, improving the education experience of over 5,000 students. The district has already started installing the AC units and plans to have them all in place for the beginning of the next school year. The Eagles player said while visiting a Philadelphia school, “I think back to my time as a student, not being able to imagine some of the things that you guys have to go through. I just want to serve you guys and help in any way I can.” Hurts has previously worked to improve the Philadelphia public school system.
In 2022, he partnered with CBS Sports and Kellogg’s to donate $75,000 to the district’s sports programs, including a girls’ flag football team and middle school football programs. He said, “I know these things go a long way. So just being out here, being able to impact and put a smile on their face and see them do what they love, playing ball, is beautiful.” Despite his early career success in the NFL, Hurts keeps his life in perspective through his faith in God.
Hurts told CBS Sports in an interview, “I’ve just matured and realized that God is everything. He’s worthy of praise. You have to put Him at the center of everything that you do. That’s what I believe. All my spiritual wisdom — all of my wisdom as a whole — comes from Him, in some way, shape or form, whether that be passed down from my father, my mother, or my grandmother. I just think, in all the things that we experience in life — good, bad or indifferent — you have to keep Him in the center.” Hurts practices what he preaches, not just on the field but also in the surrounding Philadelphia community and his hometown of Houston, Texas.
He added, “God only made me one way. That’s to be me. That’s to be Jalen Hurts. I think, being in this city, being the quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles, and just having the opportunity to play the game I love most in the best city of football, I just go out there every day, and I am who I am, and I keep God in the center, I give Him all the praise, I lean on Him all the time, and I know that everything unfolds the way it’s supposed to.”