Gary Baxter Second Line of Defense Foundation at the Institute for Science and Health

Mission Statement: The mission of the Gary Baxter Second Line of Defense Foundation at the Institute for Science and Health is to make an impact in the lives of children by promoting healthy initiatives to fight childhood obesity.

While attending John Tyler High School in Tyler , Texas , Gary Baxter was named a Dallas Morning News, Houston Chronicle, San Antonio Express-News and Fort Worth Star-Telegram Texas Top 100 selection. He attended Baylor University where he finished his college career with 202 tackles, 142 solo, 50 PBU, 6 interceptions and 6 TFL in 41 games. His 50 PBU set a school career-record. Gary was a three-time All-Big 12 choice (1998-2000) and was an All-America third-team selection by Football News and consensus All-Big 12 first-team choice as a senior. In addition, he was a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, given to the top defensive back in college football. Gary received the Bobby Jones Award for senior leadership in his final year at Baylor. He returned to Baylor and graduated with a degree in speech communications in the spring of 2003.

Gary was originally drafted by Baltimore in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He signed with Cleveland as an unrestricted free agent on March 4, 2005. Gary is a versatile five-year veteran who can play both corner and safety.

Gary has been active in the community throughout his NFL career. He was a four-year member of the Baltimore Ravens and while there he lent his time to several community outreach initiatives. He visited numerous schools to talk to middle and high school students about making positive choices and making a difference in the community. He has become involved with Habitat for Humanity and helped build a house. For the holiday season, Gary handed out the 500 Thanksgiving dinners he bought for families in the Baltimore area, and he bought presents for disadvantaged children. After the Baltimore area was struck by Hurricane Isabel, he formed the Gary Baxter Second Line of Defense Foundation. Not only did Gary help with relief efforts hands on, but he also paid for relief workers to take a break and go to a movie. Seeing the devastating effects of a natural disaster like Hurricane Isabel, Gary found it important to do his part when other natural disasters touched other parts of the country and the world. His foundation donated $15,000 for tsunami relief and $10,000 to aid victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Gary has also worked closely with Big Brothers Big Sisters.  He served as the honorary chair of the golf tournament which raised more than $100,000 for BBBS. Before leaving Baltimore , when he signed with the Browns, Gary wanted to say thank you to the fans of Baltimore for four great seasons. He did so by hosting a wine tasting fundraiser that raised $25,000 for BBBS.

Arriving in Cleveland for the Browns 2005 season, Gary soon became well-known to the community. He has spent time promoting literacy, creating awareness for local hunger relief efforts, and recognizing men and women who serve the community. In addition, Gary has taken part in the John Tyler Lions Night Out, East Texas Jazz Festival and John Tyler High School football banquet.

After moving to Cleveland , Gary decided to shift the focus of the Foundation to meet the needs of the Cleveland area. In May 2006 Gary hosted the Celebowl to raise money to fight childhood obesity. Players from the Browns, Indians, Ravens, Vikings, and Giants attended, as well as celebrities from music and TV. This event went over so well that Gary plans to make it an annual event. The mission of the Gary Baxter Second Line of Defense Foundation at the Institute for Science and Health will provide a tremendous boost to the Institute's Youth Health and Development Program Initiative in the area of childhood obesity research.

Information

For more information on the Gary Baxter Second Line of Defense Foundation at the Institute for Science and Health, call 314-291-1880 or email foundations@ifsh.org.

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