Being retired has allowed me to spend more time with my family. It has also allowed me to spend more time supporting the charitable causes I care deeply about. Two of those causes are the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), and the American Diabetes Association (ADA).
Every year I have done three FCA events of their choice. I do these to help FCA because they have been such an important ministry in my life. FCA mixes athletics with sharing the gospel, and it is a great way for me to share my faith with people with whom I have something in common-a love of sports. This year I’m doing only one event, a get together I attended in Iowa last week that also benefitted flood victims there. It’s was special for me, because one of my former players, Dallas Clark, is from Iowa and he was definitely impacted by last year’s floods.
I was also able to give some time to the American Diabetes Association last week. I’ve been involved with the ADA since the death of my mom from diabetes-related problems in 2002. African American adults are disproportionally affected by diabetes, and the more I learned about it, the more it made me want to do something to help. Eli Lilly and Company, which is headquartered in Indianapolis, has done a lot in the area of research-trying to find a cure for diabetes. They have also done a lot in the Indianapolis area in terms of educating young people about lifestyle decisions that can help prevent type 2 diabetes. Every year I have gone to visit the elementary school in Indianapolis that has raised the most money on their school walk for diabetes prevention. I’ve also gone to dinner with someone who has won that bid in a charity auction. So, on May 12, I visited and dined to support the efforts of those who are trying to find a cure for this disease.
