United Way of Mass Bay and the Pats are doing their job to make change that lasts.

For over four decades, United Way and the National Football League have teamed up to tackle the biggest challenges in the community. Our relationship with the four-time world champion New England Patriots at large has yielded tremendous results for the families and individuals throughout the region.

For instance, United Way and the NFL created the Character Playbook, a digital learning tool for middle schoolers. The app uses a graphic novel format to help kids build their social and emotional skills, and learn how to deal with difficult situations and how to foster healthy relationships. The program, which started in 2016, has brought the Playbook to over 3,000 students.

The players got involved too. United Way hosted Character Playbook LIVE, and Patriots players Duron Harmon and Matthew Slater and cheerleader Alex virtually joined students in their schools and classrooms to connect lessons learned in the app with real-life interactions. There was also a live Q&A session so kids could get real, immediate feedback from the Patriots.

And while it’s a safe bet that households from across our footprint will be tuned in on Sunday afternoons to see the gridiron action go down at Gillette Stadium, so much more is happening off the field. All across the region, United Way of Mass Bay is working with partners like the Patriots to harness the power of communities working together to make a difference in the lives of people in need.