Posted by Warrick Dunn

Thanks for the challenge, Mia. I’m always up for a good debate. For me it’s really all about passion. If I can feel it then I can live it. A person doesn’t always have to give a lot of money or aim to have a widespread impact to be philanthropic. When my mom died, I didn’t know at the time I would be given the opportunities I’ve had in life but I knew I wanted to honor her memory. I started my Foundation www.warrickdunnfoundation.org because I had a deep desire to connect with her. Creating a program that rewards single parents who are working to become homeowners is my way of recognizing my mom’s dream of homeownership that she never got to realize. Each time I escort a single parent through the doors of their new home that my Foundation has fully furnished, I feel my mom there with me. That’s why I give, because I want my mom to be proud of me. I’m just lucky that football gave me the resources to do it. I use my life as a guide for my philanthropy because I can relate to others who have had the same struggles. All of us who are Athletes for Hope founders have a similar story. Somewhere along the way, a person or experience impacted us so greatly that it changed our lives. That’s why I believe it’s so important to have passion. Anyone can give money or even ask for money but if there’s no personal connection and passion behind the act, it’s pointless. That’s just my opinion.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009 at 4:23 pm and is filed under Are Not Obligated. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.