Jason Taylor opened the doors of his non-profit organization in 2004 with the goal of building a better future for area children in need. Nearly 15 years later, the Pro Football Hall of Famer established a Hall of Fame of his own to celebrate individuals who inspire him daily to carry out the Jason Taylor Foundation’s mission.
On Saturday, May 18, 2024, the fourth annual Jason Taylor Community Hall of Fame Dinner will be hosted by Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood. This year’s class of Community Hall of Fame inductees will include Udonis Haslem (Celebrity Honoree), Heather Geronemus (Corporate Honoree), and a Youth Honoree to be determined by a panel vote.
In a special tribute, Taylor will also celebrate Jason Jenkins (Oct. 30, 1974 – August 27, 2022) who worked with the Miami Dolphins from 2009-2022, serving as Senior Vice President of Communications and Community Affairs from 2015 on. Taylor will be renaming the Corporate Community Hall of Fame award in Jenkins’ honor.
The Jason Taylor Foundation is now accepting nominations for the Community Hall of Fame Youth Honoree through the event’s website. Submissions for a youth (high school senior or younger) who has exhibited superior commitment to service in the South Florida community should be made here: https://www.jasontaylorcommunityhof.org/nominate/
Joy Taylor, co-host of SPEAK on FS1, and sister of Jason Taylor, will emcee this event.
Proceeds from this event will benefit the Jason Taylor Foundation whose mission is to support and create programs that facilitate the personal growth and empowerment of South Florida’s children in need by focusing on improved health care, education and quality of life.
“Another year of the Community Hall of Fame gives us the opportunity to shine light on another extremely special group of individuals,” said Jason Taylor. “I was fortunate to work with Jason Jenkins during my playing days and to witness his vision and impact in helping to make the Miami Dolphins one of the most community minded and socially aware organizations in all of sports was awe inspiring. Jason was the epitome of a Community Hall of Famer and I am honored to rename this Corporate Community Hall of Fame award in his memory.
As expected, this year’s class of honorees brings serious resumes to the table. Heather Geronemus and Udonis Haslem have both meant so much to so many throughout South Florida and beyond, and it seems as if the magnitude of their respective work expands exponentially year after year. We are looking forward to celebrating Jason, Heather, Udonis, and another special young person for the amazing work they each do in support of our community.”
For information on partnership opportunities and attending the Jason Taylor Community Hall of Fame Dinner, contact the Jason Taylor Foundation offices at (954) 424-0799 or by emailing info@jasontaylorfoundation.comor visit www.jasontaylorcommunityhof.org.
2024 Community Hall of Fame Honorees:
Jason Jenkins
Jason Jenkins was the heart and soul of the Miami Dolphins reach, impact and legacy in the South Florida community. A member of the organization since 2009, Jenkins served as Senior Vice President of Communications and Community Affairs since 2015 and oversaw the organization’s front-facing brands, with a focus on making South Florida a better place for people from all walks of life. He championed the Miami Dolphins FOOTBALL UNITES program, whose mission is to unite groups of different races, genders, sexual orientations, identities, abilities and faith around the power of football. Jenkins was influential in Dolphins Challenge Cancer since its inception, helping to build DCC into the largest fundraiser in the NFL, which has raised more than $64 million to fund life-saving cancer research in South Florida. During the global pandemic in 2020, Jenkins led the Miami Dolphins Foundation Food Relief Program as it donated over 1 million meals to help address food insecurity in the community while also providing resources to local minority-owned restaurants and businesses. Jenkins’ unifying presence helped build bridges between local law enforcement and the Black community at a time when tensions were high in America. His efforts in social justice programs became a model for the NFL. His many awards and honors include: 2022 Miami-Dade County’s Black Affairs Advisory Board’s Corporate Pillar Award, 2021 Civil Society Fellowship: A Partnership of ADL and the Aspen Institute, 2021 Co-Chair of the Social Justice and Racial Equality Committee as part of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance, 2021 Generational Cure Honoree, 2021 Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent CHOICE Award, 2020 Big Brothers Big Sisters of Broward County Visionary of the Year, 2019 Equality Ally by SAVE-Dade, 2019 Men of Valor Award.
Heather Geronemus
As Senior Director of Social Equity, Opportunity and Impact at UKG, Heather Geronemus drives the strategic direction of the company’s global philanthropic investments and initiatives focused on accelerating equity, opportunity and impact worldwide. Following the loss of her father, Dr. Robert Geronemus, to a drunk driver in 2009, Heather took a leadership role in Broward County’s Mothers Against Drunk Driving organization, establishing the Annual Walk Like MADD & MADD Dash Fort Lauderdale in 2011, an event which has since raised more than $4 million to save lives in Broward County. Heather’s efforts have been recognized with numerous MADD awards, including the 2011-’12 and 2014 MADD Florida Hero Awards for outstanding achievement, an award now named in her honor. Heather has served on MADD’s National Board of Directors and is an accomplished nonprofit volunteer leader serving additional organizations including the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the Center for Disaster Philanthropy and many more. Her work to end drunk driving has been profiled in People Magazine and on NBC, ABC and CBS.
Udonis Haslem
No professional athlete has personified the spirit of “the 305” more than Udonis Haslem, a Miami native whose leadership, voice, work ethic, and passion made him the embodiment of Miami HEAT culture for 20 seasons and three NBA Championships, as well as a beacon in his hometown. Haslem founded the Udonis Haslem Children’s Foundation in 2005 with the mission to promote youth development and self-confidence. As the world was hit with the COVID-19 pandemic, Haslem partnered with Miami City Commissioner Ken Russell to launch his ‘Power Forward Through Hunger’ initiative focused on feeding underprivileged and at-risk communities throughout Miami by personally delivering pre-packaged meals. In 2022, UD Kids became The Udonis Haslem Foundation and evolved to broaden the organization’s scope of impact by focusing on mental health initiatives, particularly as they relate to criminal justice reform. In 2019, Udonis accepted the prestigious Don Shula Sports Legend Award for his extraordinary achievements on the court and his contributions to the community and in 2021, he was the first ever recipient of the Sports Illustrated Hometown Hero Award.
About the Jason Taylor Foundation
In July 2004, Miami Dolphins legendary defensive end Jason Taylor, established the Jason Taylor Foundation, a 501 (c)(3) organization. The Foundation’s mission is to support and create programs that facilitate the personal growth and empowerment of South Florida’s children in need by focusing on improved health care, education and quality of life.
Since opening its doors, the Jason Taylor Foundation has impacted tens of thousands of children through innovative programming including The Jason Taylor Reading Room, Cool Gear for the School Year, the Jason Taylor Children’s Learning Center, Jason Taylor Scholars, the Omari Hardwick bluapple Poetry Network, and the Careers in Sports Network among others. For more information on the Jason Taylor Foundation, please visit www.JasonTaylorFoundation.org or follow on Facebook: www.facebook.com/jasontaylorfoundation or Twitter and Instagram: @jtfoundation99.