Brian Dawkins will never forget the Jacksonville, Fla., neighborhood where he was raised. What drives him, though, is how far he’s come from there.
When Dawkins threw a Christmas party Tuesday for 75 foster children from Arapahoe and Jefferson Counties, he shared with them a message of hope and empowerment.
“Don’t let where you are affect your future,” Dawkins told the kids from the Arapahoe-Jefferson Counties Collaborative Program for Foster Care and Adoption. “It’s about where you’re going to finish.”
With the help of Mile High United Way and ProLink Sports, Dawkins brought this group of children together to share some of his blessings this holiday season. The Denver Broncos’ all-pro safety welcomed them to the place where he does his work, the Broncos’ training facility, and gave them a meal, gifts, a photo with Santa Claus and him, and a personal message.
“This is something I truly live by,” Dawkins said. “I never let someone’s opinion of me define me. They don’t control the pencil in my hand. There have been some bad circumstances in my life. When I was younger I lost two of my best friends to violence. But other people don’t have the last say-so. You have the last say-so. Always remember that.”
Feeling the passion behind the words Dawkins spoke was truly inspirational. He held the kids’ attention with his personal testimony.
“Surround yourself with the right people,” Dawkins continued. “Believe me when I say you are cared about. You always hear about how there are stars up there and you have to reach for them. Put your own star up there and reach for that. Don’t reach for the stars that are already up there. You put a star up there and say, ‘I want to be such-and-such.’ That’s your star, and then you reach for that. On a daily basis, you reach for THAT star. Decide along the way on the decisions that you have to make in order for that star to be reached, that goal to be achieved.”
Through his program, Dawkins generously blessed children in need with Christmas presents they would not have otherwise received. From Lego sets and books, to dolls, clothing and remote-control cars, the gifts brought smiles to their faces as they opened them before the party concluded. But they also left with a message of hope on their hearts, and a game plan for how to fulfill that hope.
“When you leave here,” Dawkins concluded, “make sure you have your star that you reach for. Don’t let anybody define you, and it’s not where you start, it’s where you end.”
Brian Dawkins and ProLink Sports would like to thank Mile High United Way for coordinating with Arapahoe County to arrange for this group of children to receive these blessings. The efforts of Mark Taylor, Director of Donor Relations for Mile High United Way, and Kippi Clausen, Director of Policy and Population Based Strategies, were instrumental in making this possible.
The Arapahoe-Jefferson Counties Collaborative Program for Foster Care and Adoption recruits, trains and supports foster and kinship families throughout the metro-Denver area to provide temporary care for children who cannot safely remain in their homes. They are always seeking individuals and couples in the community who can care for foster children until they can return home, be adopted or live independently.
There are presently more than 900 children in the foster care program in Arapahoe and Jefferson counties. To learn more about how you can help these children, visit http://www.collaborativefostercare.com/
--Paul Kirk/ProLink Sports
www.prolinksports.net
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