Eagles QB Jalen Hurts Donates $200,000 to Philadelphia Schools

Published: May 6, 2024

Eagles QB Jalen Hurts Donates $200,000 to Philadelphia Schools

By Movieguide® Contributor

Philadelphia Eagles star Jalen Hurts has donated $200,000 to local Philadelphia schools to go towards much-needed air conditioning units.

Dr. Tony B. Watlington Sr., the superintendent of the School District of Philadelphia, thanked Hurts for his donation, saying, “more than half [of the schools in the district] lack appropriate air-conditioning.”

“When the temperature climbs higher than 86 to 90 degrees, we too often have to let our kids go home early, and that really impacts student achievement,” Watlington explained.

Hurts’ donation will benefit 10 schools, improving the education experience of more than 5,000 students. The district has already started installing the AC units and plans to have them all in place for the beginning of the next school year.

“I think back to my time as a student, not being able to imagine some of the things that you guys have to go through,” the Eagles player said while visiting a Philadelphia school. “I just want to serve you guys and help in any way I can.”

Hurts has previously worked to improve the Philadelphia public school system. In 2022, he partnered with CBS Sports and Kellogg’s to donate $75,000 to the district’s sports programs, including a girls’ flag football team and middle school football programs.

“I know these things go a long way,” Hurts said. “So just being out here, being able to impact and put a smile on their face and see them do what they love—playing ball—is beautiful.”

Movieguide® previously reported on Hurts’ faith and how it impacts his life, both on and off the field:

Despite his early career success in the NFL, Hurts keeps his life in perspective through his faith in God.

“I’ve just matured and realized that God is everything,” Hurts told CBS Sports in a recent interview. “He’s worthy of praise. You have to put Him at the center of everything that you do. That’s what I believe. All my spiritual wisdom — all of my wisdom as a whole — comes from Him, in some way, shape or form, whether that be passed down from my father, my mother, my grandmother. I just think, in all the things that we experience in life — good, bad or indifferent — you have to keep Him in the center.”

Hurts practices what he preaches, not just on the field but also in the surrounding Philadelphia community and his hometown of Houston, Texas.

As Hurts looks to lead his team to their first Super Bowl appearance since 2018, and his first-ever, he wants to keep God at the center.

“God only made me one way,” he told CBS Sports. “That’s to be me. That’s to be Jalen Hurts. I think, being in this city, being the quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles, and just having the opportunity to play the game I love most, in the best city of football, I just go out there every day and I am who I am, and I keep God in the center, I give Him all the praise, I lean on Him all the time, and I know that everything unfolds the way it’s supposed to.”