This retired Philadelphia Eagle supports single-parent families through philanthropic efforts

Brian Dawkins, NFL Hall of Famer and former safety for the Philadelphia Eagles, is likely best known for his tenacity on the field. But at 50, he’s focused on his legacy beyond football.

“I am blessed by the best,” Dawkins said. “And with those blessings, I’m supposed to bless as many people as possible.”

Those blessings are funneled through his non-profit, The Brian Dawkins Impact Foundation, which he started five years ago. A crown jewel of the organization is the Single Parent Families Grant Program, launched in Philadelphia.

“We provide transformational moments for young people to be able to go after life in a different way,” Dawkins said.

The program provides grants of up to $1,000 to single-parent families. The money can be used to pay for extracurricular activities like dance, karate or swim lessons; after-school programs, tutoring, summer camps or other things that may be out of reach for many single-parent households.

The Origins of Dawkins’ Mission

Dawkins’ desire to help single-parent families comes from personal experience. Growing up in Jacksonville, Florida, he witnessed firsthand the challenges single-parent households face.

“I saw a lot of individuals in my neighborhood, a couple of friends I’ve lost to the streets— neither one of them had a father in the household,” he recalled. “I saw the moms working two or three jobs to make ends meet and the kids were left to raise themselves.”

Dawkins, who was raised by both parents, says he nevertheless struggled during childhood. Even though he was athletic, he was smaller than most kids in his neighborhood and felt he had to work twice as hard to get noticed.

“I always felt also overlooked,” he said. “So there was a lot of anger in me and I was always in that angry mode trying to accomplish things.”

Dawkins says he found faith the summer before his senior year. Soon after, an anonymous donor shifted the trajectory of his life by paying for Dawkins to attend a Fellowship of Christian Athletes Camp in North Carolina.

“The neighborhood that the camp was in was in a very, very, very plush neighborhood and I said ‘Me and my family will live in a house like that and neighborhood like this one day,’” said Dawkins.

The exposure caused Dawkins to dream bigger. Faith and mentorship helped him channel his anger into hard work on the field. The effort propelled Dawkins to college and into the NFL as a second round draft pick for the the Eagles. The 16-year NFL veteran spent 13 seasons with the team where he earned the nickname, “Weapon X.” He became a nine-time pro-bowler and was named to All-Pro teams five times. But for Dawkins, giving back has always been as important as his accomplishments on the field.

“From whom much is given, much is required,” he often says, a phrase that underscores his sense of responsibility to the community.

Dawkins is a speaker, coach and motivator to young people. He’s also an author. His book is titled, “Blessed by the Best: My Journey to Canton and Beyond.”

“​​I want to coach and help people achieve things greater than what their surroundings are telling them that they can do,” said Dawkins, “I also try to influence individuals to think about life from it to a different lens and to empower themselves with better self-talk.”

The power of support: Emily Bailey’s story

Emily Bailey, got word last fall that she’d get a Single Parent Families Grant.

“After that, everything sort of fell into place,” she said.

Mother to Rainey, 7, and Amir, 18, Bailey worked as an ICU nurse for 23 years, but the pandemic caused her to reconsider her path.

“I was just getting really burned out and really frustrated,” she said. “What about my children if something happens to me?”

Bailey went back to school to become a nurse practitioner. But balancing her education with childcare was an enormous challenge. She said a big stressor was finding a safe, affordable program for her youngest to go after school and during the summer.

“The free programs fill up quickly, and, as families, especially single-parent families, we get stuck,” Bailey explains.

That’s where Dawkins’ foundation stepped in. The grant she received paid for more than six months of aftercare for her daughter, giving Bailey the space she needed to get her board certification.

“To have that support in the community really set me up to move my new career forward,” she said.

For Bailey, the grant gave more than financial relief — it provided peace of mind.

“You can’t focus when you’re worried your child may not be in a safe situation or that they’ll be kicked out of a program because you’re running late,” she said. “Just knowing your child is safe and having fun is stress relief.”

Expanding the reach and impact

Since its inception, the Brian Dawkins Impact Foundation has worked to support families in many ways. The organization impacts communities by serving young people and families in Philadelphia, Jacksonville and Denver through job readiness programs, financial literacy education and cerebral wellness.

“I grew into a man in Philadelphia,” Dawkins said. “And one of the things about me is I want to bless those places that blessed me.”

Dawkin’s foundation reached out to Caring People Alliance a couple of years ago asking to partner on the Single Parent Families Program.

“All we did was pick up the phone,” said Branon Gilmore, vice president of the Boys and Girls Club Movement at Caring People Alliance shares.

Caring People Alliance connects families with Dawkins’ foundation. Gilmore said 82% of the families they serve live in poverty, and 62% are single-parent households.

“It’s hard for kids to take advantage of opportunities when they don’t have the resources,” said Gilmore. “There’s a lot of challenges financially when there is only one income and things as simple as piano lessons may be out of reach.”

Gilmore said the Impact Foundation’s work has been transformative, with over 110 children receiving support through the program.

“We’ve given over $60,000 in just two years,” he said.

Gilmore said that Dawkins has personally picked up the tab for Amazon wish lists for teachers, coaches and administrators working with the Boys and Girls Club.

“Who does that?” Gilmore asks, “only somebody who is a Good Soul.”

If you know someone who has performed an act of kindness, whether it be big or small and you think they serve as an example of compassion, generosity and service, nominate them here: whyy.org/goodsoulsform.