The inaugural Atlanta Falcons Community Honors Dinner presented by Allstate was held at The Commerce Club in downtown Atlanta on Monday night, and cornerback Christopher Owens has been named the Atlanta Falcons Man of the Year for his community work.
This special evening recognized four Allstate Community All Star winners, four Atlanta Falcons Community Quarterback winners and four Atlanta Falcons Community All Star of the Month winners.
The Atlanta Falcons Man of the Year award recognizes a player's off-the-field community service. Each team in the NFL nominates one player from their organization for this prestigious honor. Owens will be considered in the final selection of the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award which will be announced during halftime of the Super Bowl XLV.
TE Justin Peelle, OL Garrett Reynolds and DE Kroy Biermann were also up for the award.
In attendance were several past Atlanta Falcons Man of the Year winners, such as: WR Terance Mathis, WR Michael Haynes, C Jeff Van Note, RB William Andrews, LB Buddy Curry, K Morten Andersen, OT Todd Weiner, FB Ovie Mughelli and WR Brian Finneran.
Finneran, the 2009 Atlanta Falcons Man of the Year, announced Owens as the 2010 winner at the dinner.
The Allstate Community All Stars program honors four metro Atlanta Allstate agents who have demonstrated a commitment to giving back to their local community as a natural extension of what they do every day; protecting people and helping put their lives back together. These Allstate Community All Stars embody the core values of Allstate's social responsibility to provide leadership for a better, stronger society, and to invest time and financial resources for worthy causes of all kind. In Spring 2011, the agents will participate in a special community visit with the Atlanta Falcons.
The Atlanta Falcons Community Quarterback Award honors volunteers in Georgia (ages 13 and over) who exemplify leadership and dedication to bettering their communities. The Atlanta Falcons recognize that many organizations rely on quality volunteers to create and facilitate programs that benefit many lives throughout the state of Georgia and this award is designed to recognize and award these individuals. The winners were selected by a panel of civic and community leaders. A $2,000 grant was awarded to the non-profit organization each winner serves.
New in 2010, The Atlanta Falcons Community All Star of the Month program presented by Allstate recognizes a player each month that has shown a strong dedication to giving back to the community. Each winner has been heavily engaged this season in team community initiatives and/or their own community initiatives
