“You who are strong
have an obligation to help those less fortunate." ~ Romans
15:1
Warrick Dunn retired from the NFL
more than 11 years ago. Even though he’s
22nd on the NFL’s all-time rushing list (O.J. is 21st),
you probably don’t remember him for being the speedy, shifty all-purpose back
for the Bucs and Falcons for 12 seasons.
Raised by a single Mom in Baton Rouge, Dunn was the oldest
of six children. On January 7th,
1993, Corporal Betty Smothers, a 14-year veteran, was in uniform and driving a
marked patrol car escorting a businesswoman to make a night deposit. As they sat in her patrol car, 3 black suspects
approached and opened fire, fatally wounding Officer Smothers and injuring the
manager.
Warrick knows firsthand, the pain suffered by slain
officers, their families and victims.
But he didn’t have time to riot, loot, complain or seek revenge. He did the only thing he could – he stepped
up to raise his siblings just two days after his 18th birthday.
Using his mother’s life insurance policy, the
heavily-recruited high school athlete purchased a modest home for his younger
siblings. Although he considered walking
away from football, he got needed help from family and friends to help raise
his brothers and sisters. Ultimately,
Warrick fulfilled Betty’s dream and played football for the FSU Seminoles
before joining the NFL as a first round draft choice.
He vowed, if he ever had the means, to not only take care of
his own family, but as many families in need as he could. And he delivered on that promise … many times
over.
During his inaugural season with the Bucs, Warrick founded Homes
for the Holidays (HFTH) to honor his late mother’s dream of home ownership. The program partners with local community
organizations to reduce the burden on new, single parent homeowners by fully
furnishing their new house, providing down payment assistance, and stocking their
pantries.
Its success inspired Warrick to expand into three additional
programs: Count on Your Future, Sculpt, and Hearts for
Community Service Scholarships, all housed today under the Warrick Dunn
Charities umbrella.
Together, the four programs “strengthen and transform
communities by combating poverty, hunger, and improving the quality of lives
for families academically, socially, and economically.”
Additionally, he co-founded the Athletes for Hope
with fellow athletes Mario Lemieux and Lance Armstrong among others. He also helped raise $5 million to help
Hurricane Katrina victims.
Warrick Dunn is an outstanding role
model for young athletes. With so many
stories about big stars running their mouths or getting in trouble with the
law, it’s refreshing to hear about a man who would literally give the shirt off
his back to complete strangers.
Good player, wonderful father,
great human!
Almighty Father, there are so many hurting
and needy people. We lift them up to You and ask that You would bless them,
help them, heal them. May Your peace
fill their hearts and may joy shine! Use
us to help them in any way we can. Amen
