EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – NETS guard Devin Harris has been nominated for the national Jefferson Award for Outstanding Public Service by an Athlete, presented by All Stars Helping Kids, a national nonprofit founded by NFL Hall-of-Famer Ronnie Lott. Fans can “get in the game” and help Harris win by voting on the All Stars Helping Kids website (www.allstarshelpingkids.org) and via text message beginning in August and running through November 15th.

Harris joins an impressive array of nominees, including Steve Nash, Mia Hamm, and Venus Williams. Past winners of the Jefferson Award include Oprah Winfrey, U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy, and Bill & Melinda Gates.

Harris' foundation, the 34 Ways to Assist Foundation, works with Make-A-Wish and Big Brothers Big Sisters in the New Jersey area to provide "emotional mentoring and healthy living" to kids in need. His philanthropy extends beyond New Jersey, to his home state of Wisconsin, where he created the Devin Harris Playground League so underprivileged kids would have a safe place to play. To learn more about Harris’s community service, visit his profile on www.allstarshelpingkids.org.

In addition to honoring philanthropic athletes, All Stars Helping Kids and the Jefferson Awards are encouraging fans to “get in the game” by:

1. Voting for Harris online or via text message. To vote for Devin Harris text STAR19 to 55333. (sponsored by AT&T and facilitated by Txtstation)
2. Telling their friends to vote
3. Following Harris’s lead and volunteering in their community
4. Nominating a local hero for a regional Jefferson Award for Public Service.

All Stars Helping Kids was founded by NFL Hall-of-Famer Ronnie Lott in 1989 with the goal of promoting a safe, healthy, rigorous learning environment for disadvantaged kids in low-income communities. All Stars achieves this mission by pooling the resources of athletes, corporations and individuals to support high-performing academic and physical enrichment programs.

The Jefferson Awards for Public Service is a prestigious national recognition system honoring community and public service in America. The Jefferson Awards were established in 1972 by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, U.S. Senator Robert Taft, Jr. and Sam Beard to establish a Nobel Prize for public service. Today, their primary purpose is to serve as a "Call to Action for Volunteers" in local communities.

For more information about the award contact Sarah Bennett at (650) 363-1395 or sarah@allstarshelpingkids.org.

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