Pro Football Hall of Fame to Honor Military Heroes During Month of November

The Pro Football Hall of Fame, consistent with its mission to “Honor the Heroes of the Game, Preserve its History, Promote its Values and Celebrate Excellence EVERYWHERE,” will salute the military throughout the month of November. An admission special, programs, and events are among the many ways in which the Hall of Fame will honor our country’s heroes.

GOODYEAR PROVIDING FREE MUSEUM ADMISSION
Through the generous support of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, the Pro Football Hall of Fame will provide free museum admission to all veterans and active military plus one guest throughout November.
 
Goodyear has more than 100 years of history building innovative tires and equipment to help support and protect U.S. troops and is the largest producer of military tires in the country. The tire manufacturer has helped build more than 150 blimps for the U.S. Navy and customizes its iconic Goodyear Eagle race tires annually to display a Support Our Troops message during NASCAR races in Charlotte, N.C.

We will salute the military & honor our country’s heroes throughout the month of Nov. by offering an admission special, programs & events pic.twitter.com/TDZEtpdtNq

— Pro Football HOF (@ProFootballHOF) October 30, 2017

VETERANS DAY EVENT AT HALL ON SATURDAY, NOV. 4
The Hall of Fame’s annual Veterans Day Event takes place on Saturday, Nov. 4 at 11 a.m. This year’s program is titled “Honor the Heroes: Women in the Military.” Participating in the program Lt. Commander Kim Mitchell, PGA Hall of Famer and Hall of Fame Board of Trustee member Renee Powell, and Army Staff Sergeant Hollis Burkes. Several Medal of Honor recipients will also be on hand for the event.
 
Mitchell, the President & CEO of Veterans Village of San Diego, leads a robust team who serves more than 2,000 veterans annually by providing homeless veterans with residential treatment programs that include mental health treatment, substance abuse treatment as well as other services and resources to include food, clothing, employment services, job training, job placement, housing services and supportive services for veterans’ families. Mitchell served in the United States Navy for 17 years as a Surface Warfare Officer serving onboard surface ships and at shore commands. She was hand selected by the Navy and the White House to serve as a White House Military Social Aide where she participated in more than 600 events hosted by the President and First Lady under two administrations. During her last two years on active duty, she served as the Deputy Director of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Office of Warrior and Family Support.
 
Powell is the Founder of Clearview HOPE, a Hall of Fame Board of Trustees Member, and a PGA Hall of Famer. She is the head professional at Clearview Golf Club in East Canton, Ohio, which her father William Powell built. She was the first woman of color to be elected to membership in the PGA of America in 1996 and in 2015, she was named one of seven women as Honorary Members of the 260-year-old Royal & Ancient Golf Club in St. Andrews, Scotland. As a global golf ambassador, Powell’s travels to promote the game spanned a USO Tour to Vietnam during the peak of the war in the 1970s; clinics in Japan, Australia, Morocco, Spain and England; and 25 trips to Africa to educate both heads of state and the general public about the life values of golf. The daughter of a World War II Veteran, Powell continued her family’s support of American military heroes by founding Clearview HOPE (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere) in 2011. Today, serving 60 female Veterans from throughout Northern Ohio, Clearview HOPE is the country’s only year-round women’s military rehabilitative golf program.
 
Hollis, a Canton native and graduate of Glen Oak High School, enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1981. After Basic Training and Advance Training, Hollis was stationed in Germany, assigned to D Company, 11th Signal Battalion as a UHF Radio Operator. In 1984 at the completion of her tour of duty she returned to the United States to attend Kent State University Stark and joined the U.S. Army Reserve as an Operating Room Technician. Hollis continued as a reservist and served in Dessert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom, retiring from the military in 2005.
 
On the day of the event:

• Blue Star Mothers and Gold Star Families will also receive free admission.
• Veterans will receive free parking.
• All who attend the event will receive a special commemorative pin.
• Guests will also enjoy a display of military related artifacts in a special exhibit created for the Veteran’s Day event. The exhibit will profile the military and football careers of Pro Football Hall of Famer ART DONOVAN along with NFL Legends Rocky Bleier, Chad Hennings, Don Steinbrunner and Pat Tillman.

 
U.S. ARMY PARTNERSHIP
In the sixth year of partnership, the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the U.S. Army are now accepting nominations for the national U.S. Army-Pro Football Hall of Fame Award for Excellence. The program is open to all sophomore, junior and senior high school student-athletes in the United States. The Award for Excellence program recognizes 25 outstanding high school student-athletes who are chosen as finalists based on their excellence in academics, athletics and community service. More information on the Award for Excellence program, including an application for interested student-athletes, can be found at www.goarmy.com/AAB or www.profootballhof.com/award-for-excellence.
 
THE PATRIOT BALL
The Pro Football Hall of Fame supports the annual The Patriot Project Presents: The Patriot Ball held in downtown Canton. Led by Dr. Tim Novelli, the black-tie military ball takes place on Saturday, Nov. 4 at 6 pm at the Canton Memorial Civic Center. The black-tie military ball includes dinner, dancing and entertainment from country music sensation Lonestar. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling 330-495-8333. Additional information can be found at http://www.patriot-project.org/.
 
HALL OF FAME STORE FEATURES 2017 SALUTE TO SERVICE COLLECTION
The Pro Football Hall of Fame Store is selling several items from the 2017 Salute to Service collection, including knit hats, sideline hats and sideline therma pullover hoodies featuring a variety of NFL team logos. The NFL does not profit from the sale of Salute to Service products. Charitable contributions are donated to the NFL’s military nonprofit partners including the USO, Wounded Warrior Project, Pat Tillman Foundation and TAPS. The store also sells special pins featuring the Hall of Fame’s logo and the American flag. The Hall of Fame Store is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Guests wishing just to visit the Hall of Fame Store do not need to pay museum admission or parking.