None of these kids, who are in the same classrooms Joey was, will ever forget this. The goal had reached $400,000 by Tuesday afternoon. And in 2020, his legend may just continue to grow. At 11:02 a.m., exactly one week after the Will Drabold page for the Athens Country Food Pantry was posted on Facebook, this was on the front page: “Who would have thought that, in the middle of a speech for a football trophy, that a young man would have kicked off this incredible fundraising, and this incredible dialog across the country?” said Karin Bright, the president of the food pantry’s board. During his December 2019 Heisman Trophy acceptance speech, Burrow described both his deep love for his hometown as well as the region’s high poverty rate. The pantry said it was overwhelmed by the outpouring of support following Burrow's speech. That’s powerful. Sunday, Dec. 22. That speech did a lot of good for his hometown of Athens… ", In a matter of hours, the unassuming Appalachian town -- home to Ohio University -- was launched to national attention, inspiring Athens resident Will Drabold. “Thank God for Joe Burrow.”. The organizer later updated the goal to $100,000, which was met within hours. The poverty rate is almost two times the national average. Also, thank you for giving back to your community. By Tuesday morning, it was painted with a Joe Burrow football figure and the words: CONGRATS JOE BURROW Back in Ohio, an Athens High and Ohio grad, Will Drabold, felt energized by the speech. (By the weekend, donations topped $64,000. Joe Burrow's Heisman Trophy acceptance speech leads to more than $260K raised for Ohio food pantry Burrow got very emotional when he accepted the 2019 Heisman Trophy One of the boys in the class turned this in: Thank you for showing me and other children that no matter where you’re from or your life story, if you work hard you can achieve greatness. THANK YOU FOR FEEDING YOUR ROOTS, Wednesday, Dec. 18. “It’s a Christmas miracle,” she said. We may well have been waiting for inspiration like Joe’s. It wasn’t long ago that Burrow was a local middle school football and basketball player. ), Friday, Dec. 20. Athens County native and Heisman Trophy winning LSU QB Joe Burrow highlighted his hometown’s food insecurity issues Saturday night during his acceptance speech. Updated 1903 GMT (0303 HKT) December 17, 2019. There are 15 more fundraisers going on, local ones, and she has no idea what they’ll bring in, and she has no idea how many people who say they’re sending checks will actually do so. Early in his speech, speaking off the cuff, Burrow spoke for exactly 31 seconds about things you don’t hear, ever, in a nationally televised Heisman speech: poverty and hunger. "Let's answer Joey's call to action by supporting a local nonprofit that serves food to more than 5,000 households in Athens County each year," the fundraiser page says. It was just beginning. Burrow's Heisman speech sparks positive change in Ohio. ", 2019 Hero of the Year describes the moment she won, CNN Heroes: Gerard Butler travels with Mary's Meals. NEW YORK (WCMH/AP) — Thanks to Joe Burrow’s Heisman speech, many families in Athens County won’t go hungry this holiday season. I’m up here for all those kids in Athens and Athens County that go home—not a lot of food on the table, hungry after school. When LSU quarterback Joe Burrow accepted the Heisman Trophy on Saturday (December 14), he brought up the problems facing his hometown of Athens, Ohio, during his speech.Burrow had to hold back tears as he recalled the poverty that has plagued southeast Ohio. There’s a wall on the Ohio campus that gets painted by community and university groups. That just reinforces what a challenge to all of us playing this position. Donations blew past that and before Drabold went to bed in California that night, he raised the goal to $50,000. The Athens High School Joe Burrow product has gone from local legend to Heisman Trophy candidate this year. It was just, Be thankful for what you have. By 9 a.m. In just a day, the fundraiser was inundated with donations and quickly shot past its original $50,000 goal. "Many, many thanks to Joe Burrow for shining a light on food insecurity in our area and a very heartfelt thank you to everyone that has donated," it said in a Facebook post. “One hour of people saying thanks,” he said. This goes beyond football.”, In LSU’s home, Baton Rouge, something unexpected happened: The Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank was linked by the Athens movement, and to their shock, more than $50,000 poured in. US NPR aired a story on the speech and the fundraising, and CNN reached out. LSU quarterback Joe Burrow delivered an extremely powerful speech after winning the Heisman on Dec. 14. What a great job by Joe.”. I asked Crabtree her reaction when she read the letters. “I’m starting to realize the impact I can have on the area.”. Knowing the depth of food insecurity in Athens County and throughout Southeast Ohio, ACFP chose to invest $350,000 to address hunger long-term. ET, when Drabold got up, and less than 24 hours into this, the total was more than $80,000. The Athens County Food Pantry received over $650,000 after Burrow’s Heisman speech, more than eight times its normal yearly budget of about $75,000. We’re better than this. On the phone that afternoon, I told Kirk Cousins about it. She said this money is a sacred trust, and she wants to be sure they spend it with utmost respect for those who gave it. Thanks to Joe Burrow's Heisman speech, there will be more food on the table for kids in our region. Saturday, Dec. 14. LSU quarterback Joe Burrow gave an extremely memorable speech after taking home the Heisman Trophy in December. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! “But the needle hasn’t moved in Appalachia. "There's so many people there that don't have a lot. ATHENS COUNTY, Ohio — When Joe Burrow won the Heisman Trophy this past weekend he made sure to make an impact back home in Athens County. Burrow was emotional as he stated: 'I'm up here for all those kids in Athens and Athens County that go home to not a lot of food on the table, hungry after school. Tuesday, Dec. 17. Heisman winner Joe Burrow spoke ‘from the heart’ about hunger in his hometown. Now money is pouring in. You guys can be up here, too. He logged onto Facebook, created a fundraising page for the all-volunteer Athens County Food Pantry at 11:02 a.m., set a goal of $1,000, and left town that afternoon for Los Angeles on a business trip. Later in the day, Drabold wrote the athlete inspired children in the region. People around town knew him as a … LSU quarterback and Athens native Joe Burrow is seen in a 2018 game. ET on Tuesday, more than $370,000 had been raised. And he remembered that at this momentous time in his life.”. Saturday, Dec. 21. Drabold’s Facebook fundraiser passed $400,000 overnight. “I think we were all in awe,” his father, Jimmy, told me. “We’ve been fighting the war on poverty since, when, the sixties?” Drabold said. Donations were slowing now—$474,749 was the total of Drabold’s drive by early evening—giving Drabold (Athens High Class of ’12), time to figure out just what it all meant. You cannot beat the power of role models and inspiration in their lives. “My kids can see themselves in Joe Burrow.”, Thursday, Dec. 19. Burrow accepted the Heisman Trophy in New York City. Saturday, Dec. … The number one pick in the 2020 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals, Joe Burrow is headed back to his home state. “We’ve had people call from Vermont, New Hampshire, California, Texas, everywhere, just saying thank you and wanting to help. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. “I didn’t expect that at all,” he said of the money he helped raise. When Joe Burrow highlighted the issue of food insecurity in Athens County, Ohio, during his Heisman speech, it started a movement. Karin Bright sounded emotional over the phone from Ohio. "Coming from southeast Ohio, it's a very impoverished area and the poverty rate is almost two times the national average," he said in his acceptance speech Saturday. It just shows what the power of words from the right person can do.”, The Athens City School District Board of Education voted unanimously to name the high school football venue “Joe Burrow Stadium.” The community was surprised at how quickly the decision was made—just five days after Burrow won the Heisman. Joe's Heisman speech triggered a fundraiser that raised $650,000 for the Athens County Food Pantry. "Some of these kids don't get toys for Christmas. Burrow brought national attention to Athens County’s poverty and hunger issues, which is among the worst in the state. My Christmas story is about ex-Athens (Ohio) High School and current LSU quarterback Joe Burrow, and the ripple effect of a 31-second good deed. We thought it was gonna calm down, but then another round of media hit. Respect everyone.” Jimmy Burrow coached for 14 seasons on Frank Solich’s football staff at Ohio University in Athens, a college town in the middle of the most impoverished county in Ohio. When Joe says, ‘You guys can be up here,’ he’s talking to a generation of kids in Appalachia. Again, thank you very much. His attention to poverty issues during his Heisman Trophy speech has led to more than $130,000 in donations to the Athens County Food Bank. In a classroom 10 miles east of Athens, at the Federal Hocking Middle School, Sarah Crabtree prepared to show the Heisman speech to her 12 seventh-graders. Monday, Dec. 16. “Wow,” he said. It was about Joe the person. Nothing like this had ever happened for an organization that pinched its pennies each month. The pantry has received more than $500,000 in donations since it was mentioned by LSU quarterback and Athens High School standout Joe Burrow during his Heisman Trophy acceptance speech. “I cried a little,” she said. I truly hope this opens a conversation across the country and we finally address the issues of hunger and food insecurity in this country. The student signed his name, and under it wrote: “Just a kid from Southeast Ohio.”. CNN's Phil Gast contributed to this report. It’s still unreal. Joe Burrow’s Heisman speech goes viral, and cash donations to Athens, Ohio, food pantry soar. You guys can be up here, too.' (CNN)As he accepted the coveted Heisman trophy, LSU quarterback Joe Burrow addressed the children in his hometown of Athens, Ohio, where thousands of residents live in poverty. Read more from Peter King’s Football Morning in America column here. "Coming from southeast Ohio, it's a very impoverished area, and the poverty rate is almost two times the national average," he … School board member Kim Goldsberry told me: “Honestly, I felt that it wasn’t necessarily because of football. When Jimmy Burrow woke up in the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Manhattan, his voice mail was full, which never happens, and his phone was bursting with more than 500 text messages. Joe Burrow has been gone from Athens High ... he is the rare young person migrating back to Athens. “Joe didn’t pick his friends because of their economic status,” Jimmy Burrow said. It goes to show the platform of football, playing the quarterback position. You have inspired me to not be embarrassed by my life story and work hard to achieve my goals. “Coming from southeast Ohio, it’s a very impoverished area. There’s so many people there that don’t have a lot. More than $200,000 raised for Ohio food pantry after Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow's acceptance speech. “How can that even happen?” he said. Some get their food from the food pantry. As he accepted the coveted Heisman trophy, LSU quarterback Joe Burrow addressed the children in his hometown of Athens, Ohio, where thousands of residents live in poverty. “This is what happens when social media works right,” he said. Burrow struggled to speak, holding back tears as he spoke about the children in his community who go hungry. They created the Joe Burrow Hunger Relief Fund at the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio. “People are talking about the speech, and then it’s ‘Congratulations on the Heisman.’ We didn’t pound the table when Joe was growing up. The donations will go to the Athens County Food Pantry. “He had a lot of friends from all parts of the area.”. The board hasn’t decided how to spend the money. He does communications consulting and strategy and lives in Athens. 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