On Thursday, the Eagles presented their annual Community Quarterback Award, given to volunteers making an impact in the Philadelphia community ...
All of the 2015 finalists take the stage
The Community Quarterback Awards are always one of our favorite nights at the NovaCare Complex
Each year, the Community Quarterback Awards honor local volunteers who are making a difference in the community
Each finalist received grant money for their foundations as well as an Eagles jersey
A look at the jerseys prior to the event
A small token of appreciation for our finalists
Before the ceremony begins, our finalists received a tour of the NovaCare Complex
Eagles Community Relations Coordinator Holly Hubbard thanks everyone for coming
Our finalists step inside the Eagles locker room
A full house inside the NovaCare Complex Auditorium
Finalist Nikki Bagby of Faith in God Restoration Corporation
Finalist Tyler Heath of Push The Rock
Finalist Terri Ives of Cradles To Crayons
Finalist Jeff Klein of The Kelly Anne Dolan Memorial Fund
Finalist Lee Mullen of Habitat For Humanity Philadelphia
Runner-up Andrew Cohen of the Marjorie B. Cohen Foundation
Runner-up Loretta Winters of Gloucester County NAACP
The 2015 Eagles Community Quarterback Award Winners, Joseph and Roseann Kirlin of the Katie Kirlin Fund
Joseph and Roseann Kirlin are presented with their check
Joseph & Roseann's daughter Katie began participating in wheelchair sports while she was undergoing rehab for a cancerous spinal tumor that had left her paralyzed at the young age of ten
After Katie passed away just two years later, Joseph & Roseann created the Katie Kirlin Fund in her memory, capturing their daughter's spirit through wheelchair athletics
Over the past 26 years, the Katie Kirlin fund has financially supported Katie's Komets wheelchair basketball program, provided grants to individual athletes for the purchase of wheelchairs, sponsored various wheelchair sporting events and has provided lodging and travel expenses for wheelchair sports teams both at home and internationally
Since the fund was established, they have raised more than $2 million dollars through a volunteer-only staff operation run out of the middle bedroom of their south Philly row home
Katie Kirlin began participating in wheelchair sports when she was 10 years old as she underwent rehab for a cancerous spinal tumor that had left her paralyzed.
Two years later, Katie passed away, but her parents, Joseph and Roseann Kirlin, keep Katie's memory alive through the Katie Kirlin Fund which has raised over $2 million over the past 26 years to support wheelchair athletics. On Thursday night, the Philadelphia Eagles honored the Kirlins as well as nine other local volunteers at the 2015 Community Quarterback Awards. The Kirlins were presented with a check for $10,000, which Joseph Kirlin immediately said would be used to purchase five new wheelchairs.
"We're just so very fortunate that when Katie passed we were able to turn a tragedy into something positive," Roseann Kirlin said. "A lot of the athletes who have been through the program have gone on to wheelchair basketball scholarships. Without the program, they may not have been able to get the opportunity."
The Katie Kirlin Fund supports the Katie's Komets wheelchair basketball program by providing grants to purchase new wheelchairs, sponsor wheelchair sporting events and accommodate travel and lodging for wheelchair teams both home and abroad. Beyond the court, the children supported by the Kirlins are building life skills and independence, perhaps the most valuable lessons of all.
"One of the Komets could meet another kid at a tournament and make a lifelong friend," Joseph Kirlin said. "You could lose all your games, but to meet so many kids and families whose lives are changed because of Katie – there's no feeling like it."
The Philadelphia Eagles Community Quarterback Awards recognize outstanding volunteers in the Eagles' market and the charitable organizations that they serve. This program honors individuals who exemplify leadership, dedication and a commitment to improving the communities in which they live through volunteerism. The nine Community Quarterback Award finalists listed below were also awarded money for their organizations.
2015 Community Quarterback Awards Finalists
• Andrew Cohen – The Marjorie B. Cohen Foundation • Loretta Winters – Gloucester County NAACP • Terri Ives – Cradles to Crayons • Steven Doherty – The Center for Grieving Children • Nikki Bagby – Faith in God Family Restoration Corporation • Lee Mullen – Habitat for Humanity, Philadelphia • Tyler Heath – Push the Rock • Jeff Klein – The Kelly Anne Dolan Memorial Fund (KADMF) • Kathleen Kelly – Gearing Up
