Founder and CEO of the Pure Heart Foundation Sherelle Hogan is the inaugural honoree
DETROIT — The Detroit Lions announced today that their 2022 Inspire Change Changemaker Award recipient will be Founder and CEO of the Pure Heart Foundation Sherelle Hogan. She will be honored at the Detroit Lions vs. Chicago Bears game at Ford Field, this Sunday, January 1, 2023.The league’s newly established award recognizes individuals who are making a difference in their communities through social justice work, either individually or as part of a non-profit organization, across each of the NFL’s 32 club markets.“The Detroit Lions are the true representation of embracing its community, and for Pure Heart, it is the example of advocating for a silenced challenge that millions of children are faced with,” said Hogan. “To be nominated for the Inspire Change Changemaker Award is humbling and evidence that sometimes our greatest pain can be used for a greater purpose. I am inspiring change through the mission and purpose of Pure Heart by ensuring that children of incarcerated parents have equal access to thrive in life. If I can break the cycle, so can they.”Hogan’s impact comes from her personal life experience. As a child of incarcerated parents, she knows of the struggle and extraordinary challenges that can come from having your parents in the prison system. To help children and teens facing these same situations, Hogan started the Pure Heart Foundation.“Sherelle Hogan is transforming the lives of children of incarcerated parents by helping them achieve great success regardless of adversity,” said Detroit Lions Vice President of Detroit Lions Foundation and Community Relations Roxanne Caine. “Her unwavering commitment and dedication to the scholars in her program and the greater community made this decision an easy one. Additionally, we want to commend Sherelle for the growth she has overseen since the very beginning of the Pure Heart Foundation to now. Sherelle truly exemplifies what Detroit Lions Inspire Change stands for.”Pure Heart Foundation was designed to break the cycle of generational incarceration by providing support services that strategically benefit the child of an incarcerated parent and family. Through Pure Heart Foundation, each child of an incarcerated parent has a chance to be heard, supported and encouraged to navigate life despite their circumstance. Funding from Detroit Lions Inspire Change has historically provided mental health programming to Pure Heart Foundation scholars. Pure Heart has been a Detroit Lions Inspire Change partner since the social justice initiative launched in 2018. In 2023, the Pure Heart Foundation has secured enough funding to launch a second organizational chapter in Grand Rapids, Mich. to expand their impact.
Inspire Change Changemaker Award recipients were selected based on their outstanding work in the community, supporting one or more of the four key pillars encompassed in the Inspire Change Initiative: Police-Community Relations, Criminal Justice Reform, Education and Economic Advancement.
Inspire Change is the NFL’s social justice initiative which showcases the collaborative efforts of players, owners and the League to create positive change in communities across the country and ensure that equal opportunity becomes a reality for all. Since 2017, the NFL family has provided more than $244 million to 37 national grant partners and hundreds of grassroots organizations across the country, nearing its 10-year, $250 million commitment to social justice efforts.
All 32 recipients of the Inspire Change Changemaker Award will receive a $10,000 donation to the social justice 501c3 nonprofit organization of their choice. All donations are courtesy of the NFL Foundation.
ABOUT THE DETROIT LIONS
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL), and play their home games at Ford Field in downtown Detroit. The team located to Detroit in 1934 and is the National Football League’s fifth oldest franchise. The Detroit Lions most recently made the NFL playoffs in 2016, when they finished with an 9-7 record. For more information, please visit www.detroitlions.com. |
