The San Francisco 49ers, champions on and off the field, sought to inspire the incarcerated as well as their children during their annual holiday visit to San Quentin Rehabilitation Center (SQRC). This is part of their ongoing commitment to community engagement.
The 49ers have a variety of NFL initiatives focusing on community outreach. The organization has been entering SQRC for nearly two decades. This year’s visit centered on a round table discussion with the incarcerated residents, tour of the facility, and distributing Christmas gifts with residents’ children in the visiting room.
Kicking off the Dec. 5 visit, players and residents gathered in the chapel to have a candid conversation about resilience, redemption, and the power of second chances.
“The harder the challenge is, the better the reward,” says Ilm Manning, 49ers offensive lineman. “Sometimes when you take the easy way out, the reward is little. Choose the hard way, and just keep going. Don’t give up.”
The day’s highlight unfolded after an informative tour as the 49ers distributed Christmas presents to the children of the incarcerated individuals in the visiting room.
“To see the smiles on the children’s faces is priceless,” says Lt. Guim’Mara Berry, PIO. “Having the athletes come to the institution and sit down with the families is immeasurable.”
The visit by the 49ers to San Quentin not only profoundly transforms the residents but leaves a lasting impact on the players.
“The impact y’all have on us, is far greater than we could ever imagine,” reports Michelle Beck, Senior Manager for Community Relations with the sports organization.
Video by Quinn Sheppard, Associate Governmental Program Analyst
Story and main photo by Todd Javernick, Public Information Officer
Office of Public and Employee Communications
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