Independence Bowl Foundation

The Independence Bowl Foundation is prevalent in the local community throughout the calendar year to promote our mission statement, as well as community and family. We offer our free youth clinic that provides young athletes the opportunity to learn not only football fundamentals, but about perseverance, determination and discipline, all of which are necessary in achieving their potential in both life and sports. We host a crawfish boil and family fish fry to bring families together and to help educate more about our mission. The Independence Bowl's rich history spans across five decades, making it is the longest running sports tradition in Shreveport-Bossier history.

In 2021, we started a new philanthropic endeavor called "1st & Give". And our first event under this umbrella was a 7 on 7 Charity Flag Football Tournament. This tournament is to help raise money for our local non profit organizations through the game of football. 

Last year we hosted the 1st & Give Charity Flag Football Tournament on May 7th, at the Independence Stadium, and added two teams helping to raise a total of $4,468 in donations for nine different 501(c)3 charitable organizations.

Community Support Programs brought home the title for the second consecutive year, and as a result, their organization received $1,668 in donations. Eight other teams competed in the highly competitive tournament - with each team playing on behalf of a different non-profit organization. Each charity was donated $350, which was the entrance fee for each team.

"In just the second year of this event, we are so proud of the progress we have made and more importantly – the impact we have been able to have on different charities throughout the area," said Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl Executive Director Missy Setters. "The tournament grew by two teams this year with players of all different ages and backgrounds from 14-years-old and up, and we were able to give out almost $2,000 more in donations. We believe this event has tremendous potential, and we are excited for it to continue to grow so that we can give even more to local non-profit organizations."

 The nine teams that participated in the tournament and their charities were KTAL News 6 (Gingerbread House), Willis-Knighton Health System (D&D Academic Foundation), Cintas (Christian Services), Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), Coca-Cola Bottling Company (Roy's Kids), Community Support Programs, Barksdale Air Force Base (Humane Society of NWLA), the Shreveport Police Department (Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club) and the Tigers (Christ Fit Gym).