The name Isaac Bruce might still conjure up memories of his 73-yard winning touchdown in Super Bowl XXXIV, but these days the former Rams wide receiver spends much of his time giving back to the community that gave so much to him.
Though Bruce currently resides in his hometown of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the Isaac Bruce Foundation and much of its work is based here. “I played there for 13 seasons and just embraced the city and the city embraced me,” Bruce says. Started in 2006, the foundation often partners with corporations to advance wellness and education. “I felt like people went out of their way to be a positive impact on my life,” says Bruce, “so I wanted to pay it forward.”
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Most recently, the nonprofit partnered with PNC Bank to finish building a playground for Flance Early Learning Center near downtown St. Louis. Bruce worked with the first crew of volunteers to set the park’s foundation, and another crew helped complete the project. The playground and an expanded vegetable garden will transform the outdoor space and encourage students’ health and wellbeing.
That’s just the latest example, though. This summer, more than 500 students are expected to participate in the foundation’s free summer football clinic, now in its 10th year and made possible with generous donations from its corporate partners. In 2014, the foundation launched Flight 300, a program that helps college-bound students travel to prospective colleges. And the foundation has committed $50,000 to St. Louis Public Schools’ middle school libraries.
Yet Bruce is quick to pass credit to the foundation’s many partners, which he says make such projects possible. And he welcomes future partnerships to “continue to make a positive impact on St. Louis.” After all, it’s a team effort.
