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Thursday's Niners Daily recaps NaVorro Bowman's first-ever Celebrity Steak Out dinner.
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The San Francisco 49ers linebacker was joined by his teammates Thursday night, who put on their aprons and served patrons a three-course meal at the Fairmont San Jose.
All proceeds went to Bowman's "4th & Goal Foundation." The linebacker's charity was established in 2014 to help serve underprivileged youth around the Bay Area. A ticket to the dinner went for $250, with a $350 ticket earning each guest a signature series autograph football. Guests were also able to purchase additional signature footballs for $150.
Some of the other 49ers players in attendance to support their teammate included wide receiver Torrey Smith, linebacker Michael Wilhoite, nose tackle Ian Williams, safety Antoine Bethea, defensive tackle Tony Jerod-Eddie, wide receiver Quinton Patton and many others. Head coach Jim Tomsula and defensive coordinator Eric Mangini were also on-hand at the Fairmont's Club Regent.
In addition to the fine food and wine pairings, there were silent and live auctions featuring a variety of items. The silent auction had rare sports memorabilia including autographs from 49ers legends Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Steve Young, Bill Walsh, Dwight Clark and Ronnie Lot. Memorabilia from other sports greats included Muhammed Ali, Steph Curry and Tiger Woods. The live auction had additional memorabilia as well as unique vacation experiences.
One of the best moments of the night was when Tomsula and Mangini were bidding against each other for a signed Bowman jersey. The head coach eventually won the bidding war for a sizeable price, resulting in a huge applause from everyone on hand.
Bowman's goal for his foundation is to build play zones around the Bay Area that will provide state-of-the-art play grounds to low-income elementary schools so that their students will have a safe outdoor environment to increase social, emotional and cognitive skills as well as a space for increased physical activity.
"I wasn't too privileged growing up," Bowman said. "I had to scratch and claw and find things to do as a child. And me being where I am today, I'm able to provide something, especially for kids ... who don't have as much as the next kid. So I really want to provide inner-city, low-income students in the Bay Area with a safe place to play."
Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/sports/nfl/san-francisco-49ers/article23086959.html#storylin
The first play zone will be installed in the summer of 2016 and the hope is to impact the lives of 10,000 children by the end of 2017.
In addition to the play zones, Bowman will host an annual "Operation Santa Claus" event during the holiday season. The "4th & Goal Foundation" will partner with a local retailer and provide a festive holiday event for 50 low-income families. At the event, each family will be provided with a meal and a unique holiday shopping experience.
Take a look at some of the notable social media posts from players and reporters in attendance:
[Photos by Gustavo Fernandez]
