Dunn was raised by his mother, Betty Dunn Smothers and has 5 other siblings. His mother was a police officer and also worked part-time jobs in order to support all six children. When Dunn was a senior in high school his Mother was murdered during a robbery in 1993 while working a second job as a security officer. Dunn was left to raise his five siblings with assistance from his Grandmother.
Dunn knows personally the affects of violence but also the importance of life insurance and financial planning in a families’ life. Not everyone will be visited by violence but many will have to deal with an unexpected death to a breadwinner. In addition Dunn’s mother was trying to get her family into a house but was financially unable to do it.
After being drafted in 1997 into the NFL by the Tamp Bay Buccaneers Dunn started a program called “Homes for the Holidays”. This program “assists single mothers in owning their first home by providing the down payment on a house and then filling the house with everything a first-time homeowner would need including: furniture, food, linens, lawn mower, gardening supplies, washer, dryer, dishes, pots and pans, etc.” To date “Homes for the Holidays” has helped 45 single mothers and 120 children realize homeownership.
After joining the Atlanta Falcons Dunn started The Warrick Dunn Foundation in order to expand the “Homes for the Holidays” program. I encourage you to visit his foundations website for more information. Dunn is a perfect spokesperson for (LIAM).
There is an in depth article on sportingnews.com about Dunn and his personal struggles with his personal tragedy and the joy and hope he has brought to many families lives.
