In recognition of the work it's done throughout the DMV, the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation is a finalist for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Sports Award.

The Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation is among the top 16 organizations chosen as a finalist for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Sports Award, the Washington Redskins announced today. The WRCF was selected out of a pool of 130 applicants across all professional sports from around the United States and Canada.

The Sports Award recognizes innovative and influential approaches to using sports to make communities healthier places to live. Approaches may include: helping children maintain a healthy weight, creating safe play environments, encouraging positive behaviors, eliminating bullying, abuse and violence, and expanding opportunities for children living in poverty.

The 2016 winners included the MLSE Foundation, the Doug Flutie Foundation for Autism, and InnerCity Weight Lifting.

"We are proud that the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation has been chosen as a finalist for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Sports Award," team president Bruce Allen said in a statement. "We also are very grateful to all of our active and alumni players and sponsors who have unselfishly contributed to helping tens of thousands of kids in our community."

The mission of the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation is to make a positive and measurable impact in the lives of children that need it most. Since its start in 2000, the Foundation has given back more than $20 million to the community (consisting of Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia), focusing primarily in the areas of education, community outreach and health and wellness.

In 2016, the Foundation continued to focus its efforts on making an impact in the region: In addition to expanding the Redskins Read Playbook Program to 117 schools and providing more than $1.2 million in support to youth serving organizations in the DC Metro region, the Foundation launched its most ambitious health & wellness initiative to date; Redskins FITT.

Created in partnership with the District of Columbia Public Schools and the American Diabetes Association®, Redskins FITT (Frequency, Intensity, Time & Type) is designed to encourage a healthy lifestyle and assist middle school students in the development of their personal fitness goals. Students track their progress in the Redskins FITTbook, an in-school tool that includes lessons on physical activity, nutrition and cognitive development. The FITT Program served more than 2500 DCPS 7th Grade students during the 2016-2017 school year and will expand to serve students in three additional school districts this coming fall.

The winners of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Award will be announced in September.