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- Mar 18, 2019
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ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Safety Justin Simmons has been selected as the Denver Broncos 2019 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year nominee, it was announced on Thursday. The prestigious award, presented by Nationwide, recognizes a player for his outstanding leadership both on the field and in the community.
The Broncos presented their “Champions in the Community” awards and recognized Simmons during Thursday morning’s team meeting.
ABOUT SIMMONS’ WORK IN THE COMMUNITY
Selected by the Broncos in the third round (98th overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft from Boston College, Simmons has supported many organizations in the Denver metro area. In 2019 alone, he has volunteered more than 3,500 minutes with 20 different local organizations.
Throughout four seasons as a Bronco, Simmons has worked directly with dozens of community organizations, including but not limited to: Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver, Children’s Hospital Colorado, Denver Rescue Mission, Food Bank of the Rockies, Global Down Syndrome Association, Habitat for Humanity, Make-A-Wish Colorado, Mile High United Way, National Sports Center for the Disabled, Playworks Colorado, Special Olympics Colorado, UCHealth and USA Football.
A two-time winner of the team’s Community Ambassador Award (2017-18), Simmons has worked tirelessly to make a difference in five distinct focus areas: Youth Development, Hunger Relief, Health & Wellness, Youth Football and Civic Engagement.
Youth Development: Preparing youth to achieve their full potential through personal connections is a cornerstone of Simmons’ service. His youth outreach includes volunteering at Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver and Denver Rescue Mission while also giving formal presentations at student-leadership summits and local graduation ceremonies.
In his second year as the Broncos’ Fuel Up to Play 60 Ambassador, Simmons’ messaging focuses on youth physical activity and nutrition by encouraging students to be leaders in their own schools. He served as the lead judge during a Healthy Schools Competition in which he reviewed presentations by elementary and middle school student teams who proposed ideas and programs for improving their schools.
Simmons distributed $10,000 in the form of school grants during the 2018-19 school year. He personally met with each student-led team to congratulate and encourage them on the difference they are making in their schools and communities.
In addition to direct non-profit outreach and partnerships, Simmons has worked with nearly 50 different schools (elementary through high school) focusing on bullying prevention, health and wellness and empowering student-athletes.
Hunger Relief: Simmons is a regular volunteer at Food Bank of the Rockies, the largest private hunger-relief organization in Colorado that works to help families thrive by efficiently procuring and distributing food and essentials to the hungry. His efforts include packaging food orders for partner agencies in addition to attending events that support fundraising to provide meals to those in need, including the team’s annual Taste of the Broncos event.