Houston Dynamo midfielder Brad Davis is among 36 professional athletes nominated for the prestigious Jefferson Award for Public Service, with voting currently available online, All Stars Helping Kids announced this week.
Fans can vote for Davis and 35 other athletes for the next three months, both online or via text message. At the conclusion of the voting, five finalists will be named in each of two categories, with the 10 total finalists making up the 2011 Dream Team for Public Service. The winner in each category – Outstanding Athlete in Service and Outstanding Athlete as a Newcomer in Service – will be awarded a national Jefferson Award for Public Service next summer.
Davis’ bio for the Jefferson Awards is available at http://www.allstarshelpingkids.org/teammates/braddavis.html. Voting is available at: http://www.allstarshelpingkids.org/teammates/voting2011.html or by texting the number 11 (Davis’ jersey number) to 99158. Voting ends December 31.
Davis is the second Dynamo player to be nominated for a Jefferson Award. Last year, midfielder Stuart Holden was named to the All Stars Helping Kids Dream Team for Public Service as one of the 10 finalists for the award.
“We are all very proud of Brad for showing his commitment to the military and to community service in general,” Dynamo Chief Operating Officer Chris Canetti said. “Our players have always been leaders in the community since coming to Houston, and it speaks volumes about our organization and our locker room to have a player nominated two years in a row. We hope fans throughout the country will be inspired by Brad and the other nominees.”
Davis’ signature service initiative is Brad’s Brigade, a set of military appreciation events that coincide with Dynamo home games. Families of service members from across the Houston area are invited to attend the game as well as a special pre-game tailgate. They also have the opportunity to meet Davis after the game. Davis also brings out at least one family for every home game throughout the year.
“I’d hear stories of everything they have to go through, day in and day out over there, and it’s not pretty,” Davis said. “People tend to forget about that in the back of their minds. This is something that’s very small and very easy to do, and you don’t understand how far it goes.”
Davis is also invested in his team’s community outreach efforts, taking the time to visit children’s hospitals, veterans hospitals, and military bases around the region.
On the field, Davis earned his third MLS All-Star selection in 2010 and appeared for the U.S. national team in friendly matches earlier this year. He currently ranks fifth in MLS with nine assists after tying for the league lead last year with 12.
The Dynamo’s October 10 match against New England at Robertson Stadium at 7:30 p.m. is their final night home game of the season. Discounted ticket offers are available at HoustonDynamo.com/tickets.
About the Houston
Dynamo
The Houston Dynamo are a Major League Soccer club
that has won two MLS Cup championships in its first four seasons and
represented the United States in international competition in four consecutive
years. For more information, log on to www.HoustonDynamo.com or call (713)
276-7500.
About All Stars
Helping Kids
Since 1989, All
Stars Helping Kids has been a galvanizing force and vehicle for individuals and
corporate partners to invest in the future of children in the San Francisco Bay
Area and beyond. All Stars Helping Kids’ mission is to promote a safe, healthy,
rigorous learning environment for disadvantaged children in low‐income communities.
About the Jefferson Awards for Public Service
The Jefferson Awards for Public Service is a
prestigious national recognition system honoring community and public service
in America. The Jefferson Awards were established in 1972 by Jacqueline Kennedy
Onassis, U.S. Senator Robert Taft, Jr. and Sam Beard to establish a Nobel Prize
for public service. Today, their primary purpose is to serve as a "Call to
Action for Volunteers" in local communities.
