Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

"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 I ■*, §j|| flp r * * ffIaTBTWWi "**" > ‘*» * -.A WmßLm * % \ . 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