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Buffalo Students to Participate in Discussion and a Movie

With Bills Linebacker Chris Draft, Bills Players

200 Students will Write Character Essays Based on the Film “The Blind Side”



BUFFALO, N.Y. – In partnership with the Buffalo Public Schools, the Chris Draft Family Foundation will offer 200 Draft’s Picks the opportunity to participate in a Discussion and a Movie, featuring a private screening of the 2009 hit film “The Blind Side.”



As part of the Chris Draft Family Foundation’s Character Team™, student leaders (Draft’s Picks, selected by the Buffalo Public Schools based on academics, leadership and extra-curricular involvement) will have the opportunity to attend a private screening of “The Blind Side” at the Dipson Market Arcade Film and Arts Centre in Buffalo, Friday January 8th from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Following the movie, Bills linebacker Chris Draft, along with teammates Jon Corto, Keith Ellison, will lead a discussion of the film, allowing the students to discuss the importance of character as a theme in the movie.



Dr. James A. Williams, Superintendent of the Buffalo Public Schools, will be on hand to kick off the event. Following the film and discussion, the students will participate in an essay contest, encouraging them to use the film as a vehicle to convey their thoughts about history, current events, perseverance and other positive character traits. The student with the winning essay will have the opportunity to have dinner with Draft the weekend of January 16.



The Chris Draft Family Foundation’s Discussion and a Movie is an effort to promote the development of the following traits as pillars that build positive and productive men and women: compassion, courage, honest, perseverance, respect, responsible and self-discipline. Through the attainment of these positive character traits, the partnership’s goal of encouraging the achievement of academic success, leadership and positive change in Buffalo communities will be accomplished. Draft would like to thank the teachers and administrators for grabbing this opportunity for their students and remind everyone that together, WE are Buffalo.



About “The Blind Side”

“The Blind Side” is based on a true story which depicts the story of Michael Oher, a teenager who is surviving on his own, virtually homeless, when he is spotted on the street by Leigh Anne Tuohy. Learning that the young man is one of her daughter’s classmates, Leigh Anne insists that Michael—wearing shorts and a t-shirt in the dead of winter—come out of the cold. Without a moment’s hesitation, she invites him to stay at the Tuohy home for the night. What starts out as a gesture of kindness turns into something more as Michael becomes part of the Tuohy family despite the differences in their backgrounds.



About The Character Team™

The Chris Draft Family Foundation launched the Character Team™ in August 2007 as an effort to help good young men and women across the country extend the character-building lessons learned from participation in team sports and extracurricular activities as they apply to everyday life.



We ask the question “What does it take to make a good man, what does it take to make a good woman?” and we celebrate the diversity of responses. The Foundation pledges to support the members of the Character Team™ in promoting good character by helping each other to understand, care about and act upon core values.



About the Chris Draft Family Foundation

The mission of the Chris Draft Family Foundation is to strengthen communities by empowering families to live healthy lifestyles. The Foundation focuses on seven primary initiatives with overarching themes that stress the importance of education, healthy lifestyles, character development, personal responsibility, self-discipline and physical fitness. In the spirit of the Foundation’s logo, inspired by a painting called “The Journey”, the Chris Draft Family Foundation actively pursues partnerships with individuals, families and organizations. On “The Journey” to change the world for the better, merging our different paths and perspectives powers our mission and strengthens our commitment to improvement and ensures the success of our actions. For more information, please visit our website: www.chrisdraftfamilyfoundation.org.

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