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Warrick Is Still Giving Back
Ex-Buc Dunn helps more single-parent families move into homes
cosowski@wfla.com •
View all articles by Chip Osowski
POSTED: Dec 10, 2009
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| Warrick Dunn |
"I'm blessed." Harrelson said. "I feel so blessed."
The mother of three is among the latest to benefit from Warrick Dunn's Homes for the Holidays program.
Dunn, the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back, partners each year with Habitat for Humanity to build or refurbish homes for single-parent families and provide down-payment assistance for first-time home ownership.
Harrelson was one of two recipients Tuesday. She was set up in a three-bedroom home on Patti Lane in Dade City. Rashawn Harris, a single dad raising 6-year-old daughter Alexia, will move into a house on Neil Street in Plant City.
Dunn's foundation provided $20,000 in home furnishings as well as $5,000 down payment for each home.
Harrelson said she and her three children were in awe when they
walked into their home. To their right was a fully furnished family
room, including a huge flat-screen television. Directly in front were
the kitchen and dining area all furnished, including food in the
fridge.
Harrelson says she was divorced three years ago, and has since
moved from place to place with her sons Brandon, 18, Ethan, 11, and
Loghan, 8. She says it has been a difficult time for the family.
"We've waited a long time to be settled." Harrelson said. "And to
know that when we come home it is our home and that we don't have to
leave again and we don't have to move again and we don't have to worry
about someone telling us we have to move."
Harrelson said her oldest plans to move out soon so the house will be more than enough for her other sons.
Dunn, a former Florida State University star who played in the NFL
for 12 seasons, has assisted 90 single parents and 243 children in
three states. They include 37 mothers and 100 children in the Tampa Bay
area, 25 mothers and 74 children and dependants in his hometown of
Baton Rouge, La.; 26 mothers and 64 children and dependants in Atlanta,
where he played from 2002 to 2007; and two fathers and five children in
Tallahassee and Tampa.
Each year since 1997, single parents who are also first-time
homebuyers are nominated by the Dunn's housing partners and must have
completed required prequalification criteria to be eligible for the
program. The Warrick Dunn Foundation picks the winners based upon the
recipients' needs and challenges.
Dunn played with the Bucs from 1997 to 2001 and spent a final year
with the team in 2008. He said that although he no longer plays
football, he still wants to give back to the communities that gave so
much to him.
"When I lost my mom, the whole city really got behind my family and
taught me and showed me what it means to give back and care for other
people," said Dunn, whose mother, a Baton Rouge police officer, was
slain in 1993 while working an off-duty job. "So it's easy for me to go
to a city where I'm living and help other people live better."
Chip Osowski is a reporter for WFLA-TV (News Chennel 8). He can be reached via e-mail at cosowski@wfla.com.
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