Eli Manning and Larry Fitzgerald won the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, with Greg Olsen, a Wayne Hills Class of 2002 alumnus, finishing in second place.

This award is one of the most prestigious awards in the National Football League, given to the player who has made the biggest difference in the game, both on and off the field.  

Fitzgerald has made the biggest impact in his community by setting up two organizations, the Larry Fitzgerald First Down Fund and Carol Fitzgerald Memorial Fund.  The First Down fund focuses on families and children with serious illnesses.  He provides these children and their families with fun events that help to raise money.

The Carol Fitzgerald Fund was created in honor of his mother who passed away after battling cancer in 2003.  This organization raises money for cancer and AIDS/HIV research.  Fitzgerald is known for being a huge advocate for breast cancer awareness, donating money in October based on the number of receptions, touchdowns, and yards he has.  

Manning is the first New York Giants player ever to win this award.  Manning does most of his work with the Red Cross, March of Dimes, the Robin Hood Foundation and Guiding Eyes for the Blind.  When Manning realized there was only one hospital that was specifically for treating children with illnesses in Mississippi, he began to donate a ton of money to the hospital, to make sure these children got the best care possible. 

One of Manning’s newest charitable foundations is Tackle Kids Cancer, in which he works with Hackensack University Medical Center.  He raises money for the children at this hospital and visits the sick children there a lot.  Manning also does more work in the community that remains unpublicized.  

Olsen has created two charitable foundations, The HEARTest Yard and Receptions for Research: The Greg Olsen Foundation.  The HEARTest Yard is a foundation that provides families whose children suffer from specific heart conditions with a multitude of funds and services.   This program was created in honor of Olsen’s son who was born with a heart condition.  He also lobbied a bill in front of the House of Representatives that required a heart screening for every newborn baby.  This bill was passed in 2o14.

His other foundation, Receptions for Research, helps raise money for cancer research.  Olsen plans and executes many events in Chicago to help raise money.  His most well known event for this foundation is Kicks for a Cure.

“It’s great to hear of a notable Wayne Hills alumni who contributes to the betterment of society and acts as a role model for current students,” said Mike Ferreira, a sophomore.