49ers Players Visit RYSE Youth Center in Richmond

While football players generally get their praise for their performance of the field, some 49ers got recognition for their impact off the field this week.

As a part of the organization’s “Community Tuesday” initiative, the San Francisco 49ers visited the RYSE youth center in Richmond Tuesday afternoon, announcing seven social justice grant recipients as well.

“The 49ers today announced seven Social Justice grant recipients as part of continuing the team’s 10-year, $5M investment in Bay Area social justice work producing tangible results,” according to a team statement Tuesday. “The team welcomed two new nonprofits, RYSE Inc. and Urban Ed Academy, to its existing cohort of organizations receiving social justice grants totaling approximately $500,000 this year in support of their work creating measurable societal change in the Bay Area.

“In alignment with the announcement, 49ers players visited youth at RYSE, Inc. in Richmond, CA for the first Community Tuesday of the season. Players toured the newly completed center and see firsthand the youth programs that our grant funding will support.

“RYSE, Inc. offers programs designed to provide youth with the tools to build a better city. Programming at RYSE is anchored in the belief that young people have the lived knowledge and expertise to identify, prioritize, and direct the activities and services necessary to thrive. RYSE serves Richmond/ West Contra Costa County, youth ages 13 to 21 including those in and out of school, LGBTQQ, homeless, undocumented, foster- and justice-system involved.”

Today Azeez Al-Shaair, Spencer Burford, and Marcelino McCrary-Ball voluntarily came out on their day off to connect with members of the community at the RYSE Center in Richmond

All three are exceptional football players, but more importantly they are even better human beings pic.twitter.com/3CkCwgFHRX

— Jordan Elliott (@JLeeElliott) September 14, 2022

Three 49ers made the trip out to Richmond: linebackers Azeez Al-Shaair and Marcelino McCray-Ball, and rookie offensive lineman Spencer Burford, reflecting on the positive impact events like these have on today’s youth.

“I always felt like there was nobody who was like me,” Al-Shaair said to Jordan Elliott of NinersNation. “That I was the only one going through a struggle I was going through, thinking that nobody ever made it out of the struggle. And you realize as you get older that people literally are in poverty, go through it, overcome it. But for me being in the platform that I have, I’m able to spread the awareness… and let the kids know that there’s people that literally have been in situations just like you, that have made it on the other side.”

Marcelino McCrary-Ball & Spencer Burford greeting fans at the RYSE center in Richmond

The 49ers are here today welcoming the RYSE center to its existing cohort of organizations receiving social grants in support of their work creating measurable societal change in the Bay Area pic.twitter.com/4UUxAhy5vu

— Jordan Elliott (@JLeeElliott) September 13, 2022

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