Washington, D.C. – May 13, 2020 – EVERFI, Inc., the leading social impact education innovator, today announced that it is joining forces with six sports leagues to launch a first-of-its-kind education challenge for students who are homebound during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Alongside Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, National Football League in partnership with United Way Worldwide, National Hockey League in partnership with the National Hockey League Players’ Association, National Lacrosse League, and the Premier League, EVERFI will be bringing the EduCup Challenge to K-12 students throughout the U.S. and Canada.
The EduCup Challenge is a two-week competition encouraging students to engage in learning and healthy habits as learned through EVERFI courses and showcased through daily social media challenges. Running May 18-29, students will have the opportunity to experience the digital courses co-created by EVERFI and the professional sports leagues and submit responses to a series of questions about the course(s) taken in order to be eligible to win an academic scholarship or other prizes.
The regional competition will feature courses that appeal to students from kindergarten to 12th grade and will highlight several courses that were developed directly with the leagues. Each league brings a uniquely developed, curriculum-aligned resource to students and parents that will be the foundation of the challenge.
- Major League Baseball – Summer Slugger focuses on math and literacy skills for upper elementary school students
- Major League Soccer – Actions Matter addresses leadership development and bullying prevention for middle and high school students
- National Football League and United Way Worldwide – Character Playbook aims to build character education and foster healthy relationships for upper middle and high school students
- National Hockey League and National Hockey League Players’ Association – Hockey Scholar teaches Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) skills for middle school students and Healthier Me educates upper elementary students on making smart health and wellness decisions
- National Lacrosse League – NLL Digital Scholars includes digital citizenship for middle school students and mental wellness for high school students
- Premier League – Premier League Primary Stars USA includes Ignition, a digital literacy curriculum for middle school students, as well as Compassion Project, a unique program that teaches empathy and compassion and Healthier Me – Elementary School Health Curriculum, both for elementary school students.
The EduCup Challenge will divide students by region based on their geographic location – north, east, south, and west. Students will be asked to complete as many of the league-sponsored programs as possible within the two-week Challenge period. Once they have taken a course, students will have the opportunity to answer questions related to their educational experience throughout the Challenge. During the competition, each region will seek to have the most students complete the educational programming.
In addition to completing courses, students are invited to participate in a social media challenge to share their progress. New challenges will be shared on Instagram and Twitter and the EduCup Challenge website daily, with each league having a specific day to present their challenge to students based on the program they sponsor through EVERFI. Students will respond to the social media challenges using predetermined EduCup Challenge hashtags.
To participate in the EduCup Challenge, students will visit www.educupchallenge.com, log in to their school, and complete the courses that are sponsored by the participating leagues. Students will also have the opportunity to compete for one of four $2,500 academic scholarships or a tablet or laptop computer. EVERFI will name one region as the EduCup Challenge winner, determined by which region has the most student participation. The winners of the scholarships and computers will be selected based on submissions to course questions from students from the winning region.
Supporting Quotes
Jon Chapman, founder and president, EVERFI
“Sports leagues have a long history of working with EVERFI to provide educational opportunities to students. As schools around the world began to close as a result of COVID-19, these leagues were leading from the front ensuring that students had access to important educational courses. The EduCup Challenge supports youth education and engages students in a little friendly competition to inspire and motivate them through online education.”
Melanie LeGrande, vice president of social responsibility, Major League Baseball
“At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we worked quickly with EVERFI to expand access to Summer Slugger and ensure that youth across the U.S. and Canada could utilize our math and literacy course during an unprecedented time of widespread remote learning. The EduCup Challenge is an exciting opportunity to work with our Clubs and the other leagues to challenge and motivate students to keep up the hard work. We wish the best to all students during the two-week stretch and beyond.”
Alexia Gallagher, vice president of philanthropy, National Football League and executive director, NFL Foundation
“When schools around the country first closed due to the pandemic, the NFL knew it was crucial to help youth and parents around the country by offering them digital learning and wellness resources alongside our partners. We worked closely with EVERFI and United Way to make sure Character Playbook resources were provided on our platforms. We’re proud to partner with EVERFI again to support the EduCup Challenge and help children continue to learn.”
Rob Knesaurek, group vice president of youth hockey and industry growth, National Hockey League
“We’re proud to have the NHL’s Hockey Scholar and Healthier Me programs included in the EduCup Challenge and thankful for EVERFI’s continued devotion to providing innovative and engaging educational resources. Supporting students, teachers, and parents who are challenged with navigating remote learning during this time remains a priority for us and we’re excited to provide this unique opportunity for participants to keep their minds sharp while also having educational fun at home.”
Rob Zepp, manager, Special Projects, National Hockey League Players’ Association
“The COVID-19 pandemic has created challenges for families who are now navigating through online schooling from home. Along with EVERFI and the NHL, we have worked together to make our educational materials available for families during these difficult times, and the EduCup Challenge is our latest initiative to help engage students in a unique way. We look forward to the ensuing competition and everyone will win with students engaging with our online education platform.”
Nick Sakiewicz, commissioner, National Lacrosse League
“We are honored and excited to be alongside such great global organizations working on the EduCup Challenge. This program really hits home for us not just because it ties to our social responsibility initiatives, but because we also have over 15 players, coaches, referees, and spouses who also happen to be teachers, and will benefit from the lessons that they can use as they all adjust to online learning.”
Tracey Holmes, NFL partnership director, United Way Worldwide
“United Way is proud to team up with the NFL and EVERFI to extend Character Playbook: Healthy Relationships and Mental Wellness Basics to teachers and families nationwide, particularly now that digital learning tools have become a critical component of the everyday learning experience. We believe that all children deserve a strong start, with a solid foundation for success in school and life, especially in this era of distance learning. We’re excited to be part of the EduCup Challenge and honored to be part of this effort to engage and inspire young people to stay connected while at home.”
About EVERFI, Inc.
EVERFI is an international technology company driving social change through education to address the most challenging issues affecting society ranging from financial wellness to prescription drug safety to workplace conduct and other critical topics. Founded in 2008, EVERFI is fueled by its Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) community engagement platform and has reached more than 41 million learners globally. EVERFI powers community engagement in a sustained manner to empower individuals and organizations to make an impact within their communities. The Company also convenes Networks to bring together financial institutions, colleges and universities, and some of the largest corporations to leverage insights and connections to drive impact. Some of America’s leading CEOs and venture capital firms are EVERFI investors including Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos, Google Chairman Eric Schmidt, Twitter founder Evan Williams, as well as Advance Publications, Rethink Education and Rethink Impact. To learn more about EVERFI visit everfi.com or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or Twitter @EVERFI.
