NFL’s Huddle initiative nears 400 million volunteer minutes

NEW YORK (AP) — The NFL says its Huddle for 100 initiative totaled more than 1 million volunteers donating nearly 400 million minutes to their communities.

The Miami Dolphins led the way with 75.623 million minutes from 163 events.

As part of its celebration of the 100th NFL season, Huddle for 100 was launched at the draft last April, seeking to inspire 1 million people to give back 100 minutes of their time. In November, the NFL surpassed the 100-million-minute mark and by the Super Bowl in Miami, there were 397,253,630 volunteer minutes from 1,020,846 people.

“Huddle for 100 brought our fans and communities together and the impact will be felt for the next 100 seasons of the NFL,” Commissioner Roger Goodell said.

A large portion of the volunteer minutes were contributed through the 32 teams and their programs. The Dolphins did not top the list in any month, but wound up with the highest season total.

“We’re very proud,” said team owner Stephen Ross, whose organization will receive $100,000 from the NFL Foundation to be used on a community service project. “We always want to be the best at what we do, be the best in class.

“This was a combination of the team reaching into the local neighborhoods and working with the communities. It was an accumulation of all that work.”

The total minutes volunteered equates to 757 years of volunteer time. Huddles occurred in 789 communities in all 50 states.

Among the organizations partnering with the league and benefiting from the volunteerism were the March of Dimes, Red Cross of America, United Way, Habitat for Humanity, The Confetti Foundation, Special Olympics, American Heart Association, WE Schools, the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, USA Football, DoSomething.org, and InnerView.