Paying it forward, an Oakland Raiders contingent is returning to Mexico City for charitable community activities one day prior to the Raiders playing a NFL regular season game at Estadio Azteca.
Linda and Lauren Del Rio, wife and daughter of Raiders Head Coach Jack Del Rio, will again lead the group in Mexico City to present a cash donation and distribute backpacks stuffed with Raiders-themed items and school supplies to local children on Saturday, November 18 at the NFL Fan Fest at Zocalo Square - Tochito Field.
The Raiders are matching the Jack Del Rio Foundation’s $10,000 donation to the non-profit organization Mano Amiga, while the NFL Foundation will award an additional $10,000 for a total of $30,000.
The Del Rios will be joined at the event in Mexico City by Raiders Alumni including Pro Football Hall of Famers Fred Biletnikoff and Willie Brown, and the Raiderettes. Following the presentation, the Raiders will again host a free youth football clinic for local students in the Mano Amiga organization. Boys and girls will participate in activities that feature the educational and recreational benefits of football presented in a safe and fun environment. A select group of students will attend the November 19th Raiders vs. New England Patriots game as special guests of the Jack Del Rio Foundation.
"We are excited to return to Mexico City and to have another opportunity to fully engage and to provide resources and hope for the many wonderful people who became part of the NFL family last year,” said Linda Del Rio. “Our Jack Del Rio Foundation is partnering once again with the Raiders organization and the National Football League to foster the NFL’s goal to leave sustainable elements and resources where we have the privilege to live, work, and play.”
“In Mano Amiga, we believe that quality education and an integral formation are the most effective means to break the circle of poverty and transform society,” said Gina Chavez of Mano Amiga. “We thank the Jack Del Rio Foundation, the Raiders and the NFL for joining this mission by promoting human and social values through sports. Your support contributes to the personal and educational enrichment of our students.”
Mano Amiga is a non-profit organization that provides underprivileged children and young people with tools and opportunities to become successful and active members of their community. Today the network has 21 schools in Mexico and serves 14,283 students and their families. Mano Amiga’s mission is to, “transform people’s lives by creating opportunities through integral education” and its vision is “to be recognized as an engine of positive change for all of our recipients.”
Last year, the Raiders group led by the Del Rios presented a donation to Mano Amiga from the Del Rio Foundation and NFL Mexico. They also provided backpacks, school supplies and playground balls to the kids and toiletry kits to the parents of Mano Amiga. In addition, the Jack Del Rio Foundation presented Mano Amiga with $8,000 for the purchase of athletic uniforms.
In October, the Raiders joined the NFL Foundation, Patriots, and Pittsburgh Steelers in contributing $200,000 to Banorte's Fundación to support disaster relief efforts following the September earthquake in Mexico City. Fundación Banorte matched these donations dollar-for-dollar. The funds are being used to help rebuild homes affected by the earthquake in and around Mexico City.