Super Bowl LIX Community Events to Make Lasting, Positive Impact in New Orleans
NEW YORK — Super Bowl LIX will leave a lasting impact on the New Orleans community through nearly 40 charitable events and activations, fostering meaningful engagement and creating a positive philanthropic legacy that endures long after the big game.
Super Bowl Week community activities include numerous events to uplift underserved communities throughout the New Orleans region, Salute to Service events to honor our nation’s military and veterans, activations to engage local youth, community greening initiatives and volunteer projects involving the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award presented by Nationwide nominees.
Throughout the week, the NFL will partner with local stakeholders for a series of community greening projects to reduce the environmental impact of Super Bowl LIX and create a “green legacy” in the greater New Orleans region. In the week leading up to the big game, projects will be implemented to plant trees and make improvements at Hardin Park in New Orleans, create a coastal forest to mitigate storm damage in the town of Madisonville, and install a living shoreline along Louisiana’s southern coast to help protect against further land loss due to natural disasters and rising sea levels.
The NFL will connect with the military community through Salute to Service, the NFL’s initiative to honor, empower and connect with active-duty service members, veterans and their families. Alongside partners the Bob Woodruff Foundation (BWF) and Move United, the week will begin with the USA Wheelchair Football League Salute to Service Championship game, bringing veterans together through football. The week will continue with Salute to Service Military Appreciation Day, providing free admission for active-duty service members, veterans, and their families to Super Bowl Experience presented by Panini. Additionally, the NFL and Salute to Service charitable partner USO will host a special baby shower event for military families with a newborn or expecting a baby.
The United States Marine Corps will perform the flyover at Super Bowl LIX. Through Salute to Service, the NFL thanks service members year-round and is proud to showcase the USMC’s elite pilots and air crew operating a formation of V-22 Osprey aircraft at the league's biggest event. The USMC will demonstrate the Osprey’s multi-functional capabilities, including flying vertically as a helicopter and horizontally as a plane. The NFL is proud to host the Military District of Washington’s multi-service military honor guard to proudly showcase our nation’s colors during the National Anthem.
Through the NFL’s Inspire Change social justice initiative, the NFL is collaborating with Second Harvest Food Bank and the New Orleans Recreation Department Commission to address food insecurity in the Lower Ninth Ward community. As part of the event, the NFL is funding a new Second Harvest Makin’ Groceries Mobile Market, a mobile grocery store that will improve access to nutritious food in this community.
The NFL will support the LGBTQ+ community throughout the week in New Orleans in a number of ways. The fourth annual "A Night of Pride with GLAAD" presented by Smirnoff celebrates LGBTQ+ inclusion in sports, and the future of sports for all. The NFL will also welcome youth and their families from the New Orleans Pride Center for a special flag football clinic at the Play Football Field presented by Invisalign at the Super Bowl Experience presented by Panini. Participants will be coached in flag football techniques by members of the Crescent City Football League, National Gay Flag Football League and USA Football coaches.
The Super Bowl LIX Source program brings Super Bowl-related contracts, professional development and networking opportunities to more than 200 local, diverse businesses in the New Orleans area. In partnership with the New Orleans Super Bowl Host Committee, the local, minority, woman, person with disabilities, LGBTQ+ and veteran-owned businesses in the program participated in both virtual and in-person business development workshops to prepare their businesses to compete for Super Bowl LIX contracts and various jobs the game will bring to New Orleans. NFL Source suppliers have secured contracts to work a myriad of jobs over the days and months leading up to Super Bowl LIX, including catering, transportation, entertainment, décor, staging, construction, security, and more.
The NFL will also bring awareness to the vital work of local organizations that address domestic violence, sexual assault and trafficking in the New Orleans area, as part of its annual Unsung Heroes Celebration. The NFL will host a special brunch and fireside chat celebrating and thanking employees, advocates, and volunteers from these organizations for their hard work and dedication in this space.
Throughout the week, the NFL will engage with local youth through the Character Playbook initiative and NFL PLAY 60. The NFL Character Playbook Speaker Series – Super Bowl LIX event will bring together students from across the country to discuss the importance of building healthy relationships. In addition, the NFL will host 1,000 students from across New Orleans for the annual NFL PLAY 60 Kids Day, where youth will have the opportunity to participate in PLAY 60 themed fitness zone stations.
Every year, the NFL seeks to leave a lasting legacy in the surrounding communities of the Super Bowl host city through the Super Bowl Legacy Grant Program. Through a joint $3 million contribution from the NFL Foundation and the New Orleans Super Bowl Host Committee, the Super Bowl Legacy Grant Program will provide vital funds to local nonprofits with proven track records of benefiting underserved groups in New Orleans. This year’s grants will support local nonprofits in areas including education, health and wellness, social justice, and youth and young adults.
