According to an independent assessment from the Institute for Child Health Policy, a state-wide unit of the State University System of Florida, the Florida-based Jacksonville Jaguars Foundation has developed a project that motivates economically and socially disadvantaged Jacksonville-area youth to improve behaviors and has the potential to be replicated by sports foundations around the country.

The report, which was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in Princeton, New Jersey, found that the foundation's Honor Rows Program supported school performance, inspired youth to improve personal behaviors, and enhanced self-confidence among participants.

Established in 1995, the Honor Rows program awards blocks of tickets to Jaguar home games to more than forty community agencies each year. The agencies, in turn, award seats to low-income youth between the ages of 9 and 16 who meet certain goals, including doing better in school, becoming more involved with the community, and enhancing personal behaviors. Since the program began, more than 12,000 Jacksonville-area youth have met the Honor Rows challenge.

"A lot of these adolescents have never been asked to set goals in their life so they really appreciate the value of goal setting and the incentives and support associated with reaching their goals," said Jaguars Foundation executive director Peter Racine. "When they get to the game, they feel proud that they earned the seat."