YONKERS, N.Y. - Nov. 12, 2020 - Dedication To Community (D2C), in partnership with ENew Films today announced that "I Got Your Back", a critically important 15-minute short film that tells the story of how, Yonkers Police and Fire personnel, as volunteers and with the assistance of the Yonkers Force's High School football Coach Dan DeMatteo and others, found a way to keep high school football alive in a cash strapped school system and impacted the lives of hundreds of young men, their families and the entire Yonkers community through teaching life skills, teamwork and dedication to cause will make its debut Thursday Night, November 19 at 7:00 PM. You can also follow #ForceFilm on social.
The screening will be followed by a discussion about the values of the film, which will include the following panelists:
Pro Football Hall of Famer with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Award-Winning Athlete Engagement Pioneer and Community Leader Donnie Shell
The Force's Head Coach Dan DeMatteo
D2C Founder, Boston College graduate and Yonkers native M. Quentin Williams
Student-Athlete Tyrik Greene
Yonkers Police Department Detective Keith Olson
Film director Eric Newman
The screening and panel discussion are FREE and open to all.
Click this link to enroll: www.eventbrite.com/e/i-got-your-back-tickets-128284914633
The film chronicles the stories of the Yonkers Force, its players, coaches and families beginning in 2018 (the program's current season has been postponed until April due to restrictions on high school sports because of COV-19).
View the trailer here at https://youtu.be/JTfmHq4uHMw
The Yonkers high school football glory days have seemingly passed, and football has been struggling. After extreme budget cuts and concerns over safety, eight Yonkers high school football teams that were formerly rivals have been merged into two programs. With the police and fire department working as mentors, the newly formed teams are aptly named the Force and the Brave. In the midst of these uneasy alliances, a coach and his staff work hard to build bridges and save high school football in Yonkers, while law enforcement and teenagers take the necessary steps forward towards trust and respect. These alliances and a new rivalry have now set the scene for a rebirth in Yonkers that culminates with a newly shared tradition, under the Friday Night Lights.
http://www.dedicationtocommunity.org
Media Contact
Joe Favorito
jfavorito@dedicationtocommunity.org
201 746 0005
