Nashville will always be Music City but The Tennessee Titans’ arrival more than a quarter of a century ago largely coincided with Nashville’s emergence as a commercial and entertainment hub with a scope far beyond its cultural origins.
The two will always be inextricably intertwined.
One of the ways the leaders of the NFL franchise seek to strengthen that relationship is through the efforts of the Titans ONE Community (ONE). An acronym for Opportunity, Neighborhoods, Education, ONE seeks to enrich the entire Nashville community by fortifying these essential pillars.
ONE’s relationship with local universities and Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) make it possible for Nashville-area students at every level to benefit from this initiative.
With the assistance of community partners, ONE manifests itself in many ways. This year the organization donated a book to every MNPS first and second grade student. Each child was given his or her own book to take home and enjoy reading with parents and friends. The initiative aims to increase reading proficiency across the community.
Students at two of the benefiting schools, Cumberland Elementary School and Shwab Elementary School, received their books in a special delivery from Titans players, cheerleaders and T-Rac, the team’s raccoon-costumed mascot. Participating players included OL Daniel Brunskill, DL Keondre Coburn, C Lloyd Cushenberry, DL Isaiah Iton, QB Will Levis, LB Kenneth Murray, Jr., OL John Ojukwu and LB Otis Reese.
“It felt awesome,” says Levis. “I remember when I was a little kid whenever anybody came to speak to us, whether it was a football player, fireman, really just any adult that any of us could look up to, it was so exciting. Hopefully we encouraged some kids to do a little more reading.”
There was even some one-on-one bonding between students and players.
“I got two bookmarks,” one honest student informed Levis. “Don’t tell anyone,” replied Levis. “It’s our secret.”
It was a rewarding experience for the second-year NFL quarterback. “I just saw the signup sheet and saw a few of my teammates had signed up and I wanted to be a part of it,” says Levis. “Anytime you get to get out into the community and just connect with people, especially kids like this, how much they look up to you and how much of an impact you can make on them, you just try to take advantage of those opportunities whenever you can.”
Cumberland principal Jeresther Thorpe-Page talked about what Titans ONE Community means to the students in her school.
“We talk so much about how reading is important…and [how it] opens up so much access and opportunities for our kiddos,” says Thorpe-Page. “So, when they see the players coming and bringing books and encouraging them to read, then they know that they are part of this community. They know that…people are investing in them and caring for them and counting on them to do the right things: to take school seriously and to take advantage of every opportunity that is afforded to them.”
It was a similar experience for the Shwab school community.
“We’re all about literacy so whenever we can get more books into the hands of our boys and girls, it's an awesome opportunity,” says principal Cheryl Bowman. “But for them to see the champions of our city, the Tennessee Titans, just warms my heart. We are elated for any opportunity for our community to be a part of the teaching and learning at our school. We thank them for embracing the whole notion of literacy in the city of Nashville.”
TennesseeTitans.com/community/one-community