5 Takeaways from Players for a Purpose Presented by SAP

[Sourdough Sam]

1. Faithful Raises Money for Bay Area Youth


During the main program, 49ers senior team reporter Keiana Martin hosted a fund-a-need auction where fans could donate any amount from $49 to $25,000 to the 49ers Foundation. Each price point helped the Foundation in a different way - from providing in-classroom supplies for teachers in need, to educational resources and flag football equipment for the Foundation to deliver to schools across the Bay, every dollar matters. Within a 10-minute span, the Foundation had raised over $100,000 to benefit their mission of educating and empowering Bay Area youth. The fund-a-need auction is open throughout the rest of the week. Go to bidpal.net/kickoff2020 to donate and support the 49ers Foundation.


The event also served as a celebration and opportunity for the Foundation to highlight the incredible organizations and partnerships that make the work they do for Bay Area youth possible.


"Tonight is a celebration," said Justin Prettyman, 49ers Foundation Executive Director. "We celebrate our accomplishments to date. We celebrate the thousands of young minds that have walked through our doors. We celebrate the work of 49ers EDU, 49ers PREP and the incredible work of our legacy partners, 49ers Academy, 49ers STEM Leadership Institute, Fresh Lifelines for Youth, City Year San Jose, Tipping Point Community and Center for Youth Wellness."


2. Jed York Offseason Recap


Jed York took the opportunity to let the Faithful know what the 49ers have been doing to make an impact in the community this offseason and training camp. He highlighted the social justice grant program that the team is rolling out next week and the work that the players will be doing around voter education. He also talked about the pride he had for the work that the Foundation is doing in the community and has been doing for the last 30 years.


"The last few months have brought a lot of change and a lot of challenges in our community and sparked important and difficult conversations," said York. "The 49ers Foundation's direct programs are committed to providing resources for teachers, parents and coaches as we look forward to supporting youth as they start the school year virtually. The demand for digital content has never been greater and we've risen to the challenge."


3. Game Night


The Faithful had the opportunity to join 49ers players for a game of Playmakers Pictionary presented by U.S. Bank. Fans were divided into eight teams for a game of Pictionary. Daniel Brunskill took home the inaugural Playmakers Pictionary trophy for his team with 43 points thanks to his killer drawing skills and his team's stellar guessing abilities. In second place was Trent Taylor with 25 points and third place went to Trent Williams with 23 points. Rookie Javon Kinlaw beat out several of the vets with 19 points. Jimmie Ward had 18, Deebo Samuel had 17, Ronald Blair III had 15 and in last place was Dee Ford with 11 points.


Highlights of the game included Ronald Blair showcasing his drawing skills with an extravagant meat lovers pizza while rookie Javon Kinlaw showed the vets how to draw the perfect football, paying extra attention to getting the laces just right.