Making Philadelphia Better Off the Field With Ertz Family Foundation

When the Philadelphia Eagles start training camp next week, Zach Ertz won’t be on the roster. But the memory of the tight end’s arm reaching over the goal line to put the Eagles ahead in Super Bowl LII will be remembered forever. Through the Ertz Family Foundation, Zach, and his wife Julie hope to build a legacy off the field by bringing change to communities through youth sports and education.

While they weren’t physically in Philadelphia, the Super Bowl champion tight end and his Olympic medal-winning wife were well represented by their “teammates.”

The Ertz Family Foundation and SeventySix Capital Sports Advisory President and Ertz Family Foundation Board Member, Dan Bravato co-hosted a “Time Is Money” event to connect people under 40 to charities in Philadelphia. SeventySix Capital and Johnson Kendall Johnson, both of which are involved in the sports and entertainment space, sponsored the event.

The Ertz Family Foundation

Bravato, along with Zach’s mother, Lisa, and the team at the Ertz Family Foundation came up with the idea of engaging the under-40 community in a different way. Often, when thinking about donating to charity, the first thing that comes to mind is just to write a check. However, these organizations have other ways people can make a difference such as volunteering their time to offer to help with marketing and outreach for example.

“After meeting and being inspired by the team at EFF, I knew this was a group that I wanted to personally and professionally be involved with.” said Dan Bravato, “When we thought how we could get more young professionals involved in the charity space, we landed on the idea of sharing stories of how other young professionals got involved by dedicating their time, network and skillset versus simply giving dollars. We hope this event inspires more people to get involved with all the charities in Philadelphia and look forward to building this out as a recurring series.”

Zach and Julie Ertz founded the Ertz Family Foundation in 2018. The foundation was created to help lift the community of Philadelphia through the pair’s strong faith and desire to help those who need it most. The Foundation gears its efforts toward youth sports, education, and provides services to high-risk communities. The Ertz Family Foundation has broken ground on the House of Hope in North Philadelphia.

Still a Super memory

Julie Ertz is pregnant with the couple’s first child, a boy, due in early August, so they could not make the trip to Philadelphia. Lisa Ertz was at the event and took a few minutes to talk to PlayPennsylvania about the final minutes of Super Bowl LII.

She was in the stands at U.S. Bank Stadium and screamed (just like every Eagles fan) – “he crossed the plane” – when Zach flew in the endzone for the go-ahead score. Eagles fans held their breath as the play was reviewed since the ball popped loose when his hands hit the turf. Despite the score standing and the Birds taking a 38-33 lead, Mama Ertz knew it wasn’t time to celebrate yet.

There was still 2:21 left. “And Tom Brady had the ball…” said Lisa Ertz.

It wasn’t until the clock hit all zeroes that she, and the rest of Philadelphia, celebrated.

“Knowing how hard Zach and Julie work and they are achieving their dreams is the greatest joy as a parent.”

Today, pride is still present on Lisa Ertz’s face. And it isn’t just because her son reached a football across the plane of an endzone. It just might be because her son always seems to reach deeper for an extra inch on the field and wants to reach out to those who just need a little bit of help off the field.

Lisa Ertz speaks at City Tap on July 21.

Arizona Cardinals odds

As young professionals networked and sipped on IPAs, news broke about Zach’s current team, the Arizona Cardinals. Quarterback Kyler Murray signed a five-year extension worth $230.5 million. This puts Murray AAV second to only Aaron Rodgers.

Pennsylvania online sportsbooks have set the Arizona Cardinals’ win total for the 2022 season at 8.5. The Eagles win total is 9.5.

Odds to win the NFC Championship (+1200) and the Super Bowl (+2500) are nearly identical for the Eagles at BetMGM and DraftKings. However, the Cardinals’ odds vary.