Jarrett Payton, the son of Chicago Bears legend Walter Payton, and a current member of the Tennessee Titans, visited Saint Patrick High School on January 26, 2006 to present the school with the “Legacy of Sweetness” Giving Back Award. The “Legacy of Sweetness” is given to the school that collects the most filled boxes of toys during the annual Walter and Connie Payton Foundation Toy Drive. This is the third straight year Saint Patrick has earned this award. In recognition of the honor, the Payton Foundation donated a combination TV/VCR/DVD to Saint Patrick. Toys were collected at Saint Patrick from students, faculty and staff throughout the month of November. The school’s annual “Dinner With the Deans” raffle netted $675, which was used to purchase additional toys for the drive. The Shamrocks collected a total of eight full boxes of toys.

In an assembly before the entire school, Payton thanked the students of Saint Patrick for their generosity and imparted some words of advice from his own experiences. “This is the best time of your lives. Enjoy yourselves right now. When you talk to teachers, and you think that they don’t know what they are talking about, listen to them, because they know” Payton told the students. Payton used examples from his football career to make his most important point. He was told that he would never play big-time college football, but he went on to play on an undefeated National Championship Team at the University of Miami in 2001. Payton was told that he would never play in the NFL. He was even cut by the Tennessee Titans twice, but he continued to pursue his dream, “when your results aren’t what you wanted, you have to remember that there is a higher power that has a plan for you. All you can do is work hard every single day.” Payton was signed to the active roster last October, and saw action in 13 games for the Titans, carrying the ball 33 times for 105 yards and two touchdowns this past season. Payton shared an important lesson that he learned from his father, “never give up, and don’t let anyone else tell you that you can’t do something.”

Walter started his foundation, the Walter Payton Foundation, many years ago when he saw a need among the children in the state of Illinois who were neglected and abused. He joined up with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services hoping to make a difference in the lives of these children. In doing this, he initiated his Holiday Giving Program, which provides gifts during the holiday season for these thousands of children. He believed that by giving them new toys they would feel special, and it would inspire hope in their very fragile lives. This year the Payton Foundation will also help provide for many children effected by Hurricane Katrina.

For more information on the Walter and Connie Payton Foundation, and their Holiday Giving Program, please visit their website at www.payton34.com or phone (847) 605-0034.