(Photo by Devin Miles - Heritage Ohio) Pictured from left are Sam Jones, Jimmy Burrow, Tim Traxler and Tom O’Grady of Ohio’s Hill Country Heritage Area. Jimmy Burrow accepted an award on behalf of his son, Joe Burrow, at the Ohio Statehouse.

COLUMBUS — Ohio’s Hill Country Heritage Area in Athens County has recognized pro football quarterback Joe Burrow for his leadership and philanthropy.

Burrow, of Athens County, received the Sam Jones Model Citizen Award at the Appalachian Heritage Awards Luncheon at the Ohio Statehouse in December.

Hosted by Ohio’s Hill Country Heritage Area and Heritage Ohio, individuals and groups are selected for their work preserving and creating the heritage of the Ohio Appalachian region.

In addition to Burrow, recognition was given to the Underground Railroad Exhibit at Farmers Castle Museum in Belpre, Sam Miller from Buckeye Hills Regional Council, the Old Burying Ground Restoration in Highland County, Pike Heritage Museum in Waverly, Steve Free Folk Music in Scioto County, the Artist Colony of Zanesville, Hidden Hills Orchard in Washington County, and Ohio Hills Health Center in Belmont County.

The Sam Jones Model Citizen Award, created in 2017, was named in honor of Sam Jones of Glouster, Ohio, who operates the oldest gym in America. Jones has been giving kids a productive refuge from the streets for 60 years and helping them become champions in life, and sometimes champions in the ring. Jones has also raised nearly $1 million for books in one of the poorest school districts in Ohio.

(Photo by Devin Miles - Heritage Ohio) Pictured from left are Sam Jones, Jimmy Burrow, Tim Traxler and Tom O’Grady of Ohio’s Hill Country Heritage Area. Jimmy Burrow accepted an award on behalf of his son, Joe Burrow, at the Ohio Statehouse.

In November, Jones set up his portable ring at the Trimble School building in Jacksonville for the 50th anniversary of Boxing for Books. It is this community spirit and example for which the Sam Jones Model Citizen Award was established, according to a press release from Heritage Ohio.

Burrow, from The Plains, is currently starting quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals. He was nominated for the Sam Jones Award because when national attention was first focused on him when he was selected for the Heisman Trophy Award in 2019 his first instinct was to reach back with compassion and a helping hand to the needy and hungry children of his community. That gesture raised hundreds of thousands of dollars of support for the local food bank in just a few days. Burrow expanded that effort with the establishment of the Joe Burrow Hunger Relief Fund and the Joe Burrow Foundation.

The Foundation focuses on providing resources for children in need and addresses mental health issues for underprivileged and underserved youth in Appalachian Ohio, Cincinnati, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Stating “success means nothing if it doesn’t serve others,” Burrow invoked a direct call for those with wealth beyond their needs to actively contribute to the well-being of their communities. Burrow emphasized that leadership is an act, not just words.

This kind of philanthropy is most often observed by individuals at the end of their careers. Burrow, raised in Appalachian Ohio, is making history and setting an example and leading at the early stages of his career, the press release said.

For more information about award recipients, go to https://heritageohio.org/appalachia-heritage-luncheon/