When I run into fans at a restaurant or am roaming the room at a corporate function, a few topics always seem to come up in conversation. Some combination of: “What was it like to intercept Tom Brady and send the Colts to the Super Bowl?, ” “Is Peyton Manning really as funny as he seems on those DirecTV and Papa John’s commercials?” and “What did it mean to you to be a captain on the University of Michigan football team?”
I am forever grateful and incredibly proud to have been a part of a Super Bowl championship team during my NFL career and I am extremely blessed to have been a part of three Big Ten title squads during my collegiate days. But I am equally as proud of the work I am doing right now in my post-football life.
We don’t know what we don’t know! If no one has ever shown or talked to you about love, respect, trust, courage, or discipline, then how will you know?
Because the reality is, I had to fight to get to where I was. And trust me, it wasn’t a fight I’d wish on anyone.
I never knew my father. My mother was addicted to drugs. I was neglected and moved from home to home — far from the ideal childhood.
So I fought. I had to fight for my life, the life that I wanted, the life that was just beyond the horizon of the ghetto that, at that time, I could not see. The more I experienced outside the confines of my childhood, the more I became encouraged to fight for all that is right and just in the world.
After the journey I have been through, I want to give kids a fighting chance. I hope to give kids who grow up as I did an opportunity to make it in the world, to let them know their environment does not have to dictate who they are in a negative way.
VISIT THE FIGHT FOR LIFE FOUNDATION
My goal – our foundation’s goal — is to introduce kids to life lessons and coach character qualities that I have learned along the way, in order to help them side step some obstacles that I faced and know they have or will face.
We don’t know what we don’t know! If no one has ever shown or talked to you about love, respect, trust, courage, or discipline, then how will you know?
The mission of Fight for Life founders and supporters is to fill a void in children’s lives where guidance is missing. We hope to give kids the chance that each child deserves in life, by instilling the simple qualities that so many people take for granted. This is why we feel compelled to help in the fight for a better life for disadvantaged children.
The mission of my foundation is to help deserving but underserved youth develop the social and emotional qualities needed to be successful in life. Through incentive-based programming, we encourage students to reach their full potential both in the classroom and in life. We use education, athletics and wellness activities as the foundation for youth development.
As our motto goes: “Dream it…Believe it…Achieve it … The IT is up to you.”
For more information on Marlin’s foundation or to donate to the organization, visit FightforLifeFoundation.org.
