A Generous Act (Heisman Speech Ripple Effect)

Jesus Sanchez Melean

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Joe Burrow is a rising American football star. His performance as the LSU Tigers quarterback has earned him the 2019 Heisman Trophy, awarded every year to the best player in college football. Burrow received his Heisman award this season in a ceremony broadcast on television and social networks, which has garnered him much attention. This young man is already considered one of the best options for the NFL draft in 2020.

However, Burrow will also be remembered for the emotional speech he gave that night. In this speech, Burrow shed light on the impoverishment that has swept his home county of Athens, Ohio.  Burrow grew up in that area because his father was the offensive coordinator of the Ohio University football team.

In the speech, Burrow noted, “Coming from Southeast Ohio, it’s a very, very impoverished area, and the poverty rate is almost two times the national average.” And he continued, “There’s so many people there that don’t have a lot.” Athens County, as well as the entire Appalachian region, has been at the mercy of global economic trends for quite some time. In this region, coal production was once abundant, and is now stifled, leaving many without work.

Burrow shedding light on the issues of Athens County prompted one man, Will Drabold, to create a fundraising campaign for the Athens County Food Pantry, a nonprofit organization. Burrow’s words stirred the generosity of residents of Ohio, Louisiana, and other areas of the United States to donate to this fundraiser. At the time of writing this article, more than four hundred thousand dollars have been raised. The Athens County Food Pantry serves food to more than 5,000 homes every year in Athens County.

The Athens County Food Pantry provides food to low-income people, and therefore this non-profit organization plays a vital role in a very impoverished area of the United States. The generosity these low-income families can receive can only be done by people donating their time and money to feed those in need in the area, and therefore the large amount of money raised is quite a miracle.

In this edition of El Comercio de Colorado, we will show groups of non-profit organizations based in Colorado. Each of these organizations has a specific mission, and they rely on the generosity of others to achieve their goals. I invite you to look at the work of Casa de Paz; the American Cancer Society; Servicios de la Raza, Jamlac; Adelante Community Development; 9Health Fair; Mexican Cultural Center, Clinica Tepeyac; ASOCOCO, SOS Venezuela Denver, and SARCO.

Those who are in charge of these organizations are people committed to social causes. They use their professional talents and skills to impact their communities in positive ways. It is now up to all of us to support them. So, I advise all to please take a look at these organization’s mission statements and donate if you can.