Former Patriot Ty Law Donates $5k to UMass Dartmouth Scholarships
When Ty Law took the stage at the UMass Dartmouth Center for Marketing Research Celebrity/Scholarship Dinner, the first thing he said was that he would like to donate $5,000 to the Center’s scholarship program. It was clear from his inspiring remarks that followed, that he understood the value of education and the difficulty of trying to obtain one for many young people who lacked the means or support. He made the donation in the name of his new business, Launch, a trampoline park in Warwick, RI.
For the UMass Dartmouth Center for Marketing Research it was their 13th annual Celebrity/Scholarship Dinner at the Venus de Milo Restaurant in Swansea, MA. Mr. Law was this year’s Celebrity Guest. The former Cornerback for the NE Patriots played a decade in Foxboro where he hauled in 40 of his 53 career interceptions and won 3 Super Bowl titles.
At the dinner, Chancellor Divina Grossman welcomed Ty and shared with the audience his words from the event at TD Garden where Law was inducted into the Boston Sports Hall of Fame along with Celtic’s great Larry Bird. Law’s message to his fans was: “No matter what uniform I ever played in, I’m going to always bleed the red, white and blue. I’m a Patriot until I die….This is where it all started; this is where it’s all going to end.”
The purpose of the dinner was to distribute scholarships to UMass Dartmouth graduate and undergraduate students in the amount of $500 or $1000. Mr. Law and Chancellor Grossman shared the stage with the donor and recipients of twenty-two scholarships provided by areas businesses and families. To date, the Center for Marketing Research has awarded over $100,000 in scholarships to UMass Dartmouth students.
One of the highlights of the event came from Justina Andonian, a student who has worked at the Center for 4 years and is now completing her MBA. She spoke about the importance of the scholarships and the experience she has received through the Center. She held the positions of research assistant, project director and social media manager while a student at the University. In the latter position, she talked about receiving 2 national awards for the Center for Marketing Research’s blog she manages.
There were many expressions of appreciation for Ty Law’s appearance and for his support for the program. Mr. Law received a citation and key to the city of Fall River from Chief of Staff Ann O’Neil-Sousa on behalf of Mayor Flanagan, a citation from the MA State Senate from Senator Michael Rodrigues, a custom UMass Dartmouth football jersey from the Director of Athletics Ian Day and a Scotty Cameron putter from Titleist.
During his talk, followed by questions from the audience, Law revealed some of the personal challenges he faced growing up in Aliquippa PA, at a time when drugs were prevalent and impacting his own family. He knew that sports would provide his ticket to a better life, so involved himself in basketball and football, excelling in both.
He encouraged the students in the room to “face their challenges and move forward,” calling these “life lessons that help you shape the rest of your life.” He spoke about missing the camaraderie of football and called himself a “rookie business person” as he works on expanding his trampoline parks.
The Launch is a trampoline park that covers over 9,000 square feet with jumbotrons, club music, places for parents to jump with their kids, foam pits and hosts birthday parties and corporate events. Law says, “We want to see you jump. We want to get you tired. We’re promoting health and fitness in a fun, family way.” The first park was opened earlier this year just off Rt. 2 in Warwick, RI and two others are planned.
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