Warrick Dunn is a well-known NFL player. He was a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Atlanta Falcons. Dunn was named AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1997, but many people don’t know about the star football player: he lost his mother as a high schooler and was left to care for his five siblings all by himself as the eldest of the family. What happened to his mother that changed the course of his life?
After his mother, a police officer, was killed in high school, former NFL player Warrick Dunn raised his five siblings while attending college and then playing in the NFL. He built 145 houses for single mothers and met and forgave the man convicted of murdering his mother.
Warrick Dunn Giving Back to Single Mothers
Warrick Dunn signed a multimillion-dollar contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL) in 1997. Tony Dungy, his coach at the time, encouraged the rookie to find a way to give back.
I wanted to do something that was a little bit more impactful, not just handing out turkeys, I wanted to do something that had a real impact in the community.
Warrick Dunn, former NFL Player
Dunn pondered potential ideas as well as his own life experiences. He decided to concentrate on assisting single parents in purchasing their own homes. Warrick Dunn Charities has assisted nearly 200 single parents in purchasing and furnishing their own homes. (Source: News Channel 3)
Warrick Dunn’s Never-ending Inspiration
Dunn said his late mother, Betty Smothers, a single mother of six who worked as a police officer in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, inspired the idea.
She went out of her way even when she didn’t have a lot to help other people, She lost her life, and she was never able to realize her dream of homeownership.
Warrick Dunn, former NFL Player
On January 7, 1993, two armed robbers ambushed and killed Smothers while she was working off duty, accompanying a businesswoman on a night bank deposit.
Dunn was left to care for his five younger siblings at the age of 18. Dunn went on to star at Florida State University after his mother died. When Dunn made it to the NFL, he wanted to help other single parents achieve the same goal.
I wanted to take the money from the insurance policy and actually give her kids something that she wanted to give them — a stable environment, a home. Everyone deserves a place to call home because home is where the heart is.
Warrick Dunn, former NFL Player
(Source: News Channel 3)
Providing a Good Home for Everyone
Dunn began with the program Homes for the Holidays. Its primary goal was to get people into homes.
$5,000 down payment and we fully furnish their homes with food, furniture, linens, garden tools, TVs, computers all the way down to the toothbrush. The more I learned, we wanted to get into the business of giving people the potential to break their cycle of poverty. Over the last 21 years, I’ve just learned a lot about different issues people face.
Warrick Dunn, former NFL Player
Warrick Dunn Charities began collaborating with Habitat for Humanity, community development organizations, and financial institutions to get people into homes and secure their long-term well-being.
Warrick Dunn Charities now includes three additional programs in addition to Homes for the Holidays: Count on Your Future, Sculpt, and the Hearts for Community Service scholarships. According to Dunn, the programs can transform communities by combating poverty and hunger and improving families’ academic, social, and economic well-being. (Source: News Channel 3)