Newspaper Page Text
"Lead by
example"
Kansas City Chiefs linebacker
Derrick Johnson inspires kids to excel.
BY DERRICK JOHNSON
BEING AN NFL player, I know how much
my actions can influence young people, how
much they look up to me. I’m proud to be
a role model, and I always try to be on my
best behavior and lead by example.
My King of the Field-The Derrick Johnson Foun
dation raises money for scholarships and other pro
grams for at-risk kids, including a safe place for them
to play. Last October, for “Hometown Huddle,” the
NFL/United Way annual day of serv
ice, we worked with Thrivent Finan
cial for Lutherans and KaBOOM! to
construct a playground for the Boys
& Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City.
I had more than 200 volunteers come
out moms, dads, kids and put
the playground together in one day.
I even got to play with some of the
kids after the playground was built.
Sometimes the kids get attached to
me and tell me, “I wish I could come
home with you. I wish you could stay
forever.” They see me on TV, so for
me to come out in real life and hang
out with them, it’s cool.
We’re pumped about building a
second playground this Tuesday in a
different part of town. I recently met
with the kids my “playground ex
perts” and asked them to draw what
they wanted on their playground. They
had everything from elevators to
sand pits to slides to monkey bars. It
was the whole nine yards! We had fun with that, but we also
let them know that we were planning to build
TO GET INVOLVED: Call 800-416-3824 or go online to makeadifferenceday.com.
12
USA WEEKEND • Oct. 5-7, 2007
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On the field
linebacker
Derrick Johnson
looks to tackle ball
carriers. But off the
field, he tackles
playground projects i
to help get kids off
the streets and into
healthy, safe places
to play.
.JB I
this thing in one day and that we needed
their help.
Children all over this country need
help, and that’s one of the many ways
that you can take action on Make A Dif
ference Day. If you can’t build a play
ground, then you can collect school sup
plies or winter coats or have a library
book drive. Identify a need and start to
fix it
You’ll be amazed how much good you can do and, even
more, how good you’ll feel doing it
THIRD IN A SERIES
The National Football
League is now the official ;; ;;
on-air teammate for 1 1j |ti l
USA WEEKEND'S
Make A Difference Day.
This autumn, you've been reading
inspirational words from some;of
the NFL's biggest
* USA superstars in this
WEEKEND ma 9 azine - Y ou can
catch messages
about Make A Difference Day on
NFL Network's Total Access, during
a game broadcast and on NFL.com.
To learn more about the NFL's
commitment to making a difference
; off the field and to get active in your
community, visit jointheteam.com.
Come back in two weeks for essays from
Super Bowl champ Ben Roethlisberger of the
Pittsburgh Steelers and shutdown cornerback
Champ Bailey of the Denver Broncos.
The NFL gives back
Established in 1999, the NFL/United Way
annual "Hometown Huddle" is this Tuesday.
Across the country, NFL players, coaches,
wives and team staff will reach out to
volunteer in their communities.
In New Orleans, the Saints will be laying
concrete for a park that was destroyed by
Hurricane Katrina. The Houston Texans will
create a "fitness zone" at an elementary
school. Members of the Washington
Redskins will work at a YMCA in Alexandria,
Va. The New York Giants will landscape a
playground in Fairfield, NJ.
Derrick Johnson joins the action through
the national non-profit KaBOOM! as more
than 200 volunteers come together to build
a playground for the Boys & Girls Clubs of
Greater Kansas City. Hundreds of children
who spend time at the Clubs' Leslie Unit,
located in Independence, Mo., will use the
new facility.
The layout for the new 36-by-68-foot
playground came from a design event with
the kids that Johnson hosted last July. This
is KaßOOMi's fourth playground with the
Chiefs and its second with Johnson's
foundation. Since KaBOOM! was founded
in 1995, it has helped build nearly 1,300
playgrounds across the country more
than 200 in 2007 alone. E 3
JOHNSON IN GAME: G NEWMAN LOWRANCE. Gil 1Y IMAGES