Welcome to the second Essendon Football Club community e-newsletter which aims to provide a regular snapshot of the Club’s work in the community.

This edition looks at the Call to Arms campaign, the Club’s partnership with the Australian Federal Police, Indigenous programs and new Literacy Program.

Australian sportsmen are joining Call To Arms to help tackle their toughest opponent yet - cancer.

Participants at all levels are encouraged to wear a yellow armband at one of their games during July to help raise awareness and funds for cancer, a disease that effects 1 in 2 men by the age of 85.

On Sunday 21 June, Australian football will unite Melbourne’s culturally diverse communities, the Australian Federal Police, Victoria Police and Essendon Football Club when they combine into teams for the second Unity Cup Family Day round robin competition.

Dreamtime at the ‘G continues to capture the imagination of the football public with a record crowd of 73,000 attending this year’s event.

The annual game - dedicated to celebrating the role Australian football has played in building bridges between indigenous and non-indigenous Australia – is delivered in conjunction with AFL, Richmond Football Club, the MCC and The Long Walk.

Essendon Football Club officially launched its Literacy Program last month at Essendon Primary School.

The groundbreaking program – believed to be first of its kind in Australia – was designed in partnership with The Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation with support from the AFL.