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After his mother’s death, the city of Baton Rouge stepped in to support his family. The generosity made an impact and solidified the lessons his mother and grandmother instilled in him. “My grandmother would just open her heart to people,” Dunn says. “She didn’t have a lot, but she would give.” When asked why he gives back, Dunn hesitates because there is a choice. Giving is an instinct.
“It is not about the money. It’s about doing the small things. Saying hello. Recognizing someone. Taking a couple minutes to look at someone directly in the eye.” Dunn has put smiles on faces and roofs over heads but his vision is deeper. His greater hope is that families will learn how to manage personal finances, become more educated and understand the importance of maintaining health and wellness. His overall dream is to help teach families how to find and expand their dreams. In fact, his Home for the Holidays program doesn’t build the house at all, but works with other organizations that already build and furnish homes. Dunn has further dreams too—he’d like to offer nutritional education, grief support and show families how to navigate other resources to become entrenched in their neighborhoods and larger communities. As much as he encourages education, Dunn is also an avid student. He chose to return to the classroom and earned an MBA from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. Going back to school wasn’t easy. “It was like being in a dark room where very slowly the lights turned on,” says Dunn, “You can’t be afraid to ask for help or learn on the job.” The same discipline and perseverance Dunn used on the playing field has helped in the boardroom as a limited partner of the Atlanta Falcons, under the leadership of Arthur Blank. And Dunn is still learning. “Our goal is to impact communities with long term solutions that are sustainable—and that takes money. Donations are appreciated and the best thing you can do is talk about what we are doing. Word-of-mouth is compelling and it helps people learn about our organization.” Warrick Dunn feels at “home” in Baton Rouge, Tallahassee, Tampa and he resides in Atlanta. But his heart? Well that’s anywhere people need a helping hand. To learn more about Warrick Dunn Charities please visit wdc.org.
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