“Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God which he has given you.” –Deuteronomy 16:17
The New Orleans Saints are a professional football franchise founded in 1967. They have a long history with the NFL. Unfortunately, that history was not a winning history. In their history, they had only had one winning season between 20 years. The Saints did not even win a playoff game until 2000. Their inability to win on a consistent basis won them the nickname, “The Aints.”
That losing streak ended in 2009 when Drew Brees, their quarterback, led the loveable losers to their first and only Super Bowl and a win at that. In 2009 the Saints became Super Bowl Champions. This championship was welcomed by long-suffering Saints fans, the city of New Orleans and all of southern Louisiana.
Just a few years before, in 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated the city of New Orleans and much of the gulf area. Homes were destroyed and people were displaced. It would be Drew Brees, the same quarterback who would lead his team to a championship and change people’s perspective on the game of football, that would help lead the city of New Orleans back from this devastation.
In 2003, Drew Brees founded the Brees Dream Foundation. Originally the foundation was to help cancer patients. Brees was traded to New Orleans the season after Katrina. He and his wife, Brittany immediately expanded the work of their family foundation to provide assistance for rebuilding projects. They have helped rebuild homes, schools, athletic fields and parks. His work with his charity and his work on the football field led him to be named the NFL’s Man of the Year in 2010.
To date, the Brees Dream Foundation and his family have raised and given away over $25,000,000.00 to charitable causes around the world. Drew Brees is football player who is blessing to his team and his city. He has made an impact both on and off the football field. He is a great athlete, but more than that he realizes that God has given him an opportunity to bless others lives. Few people will ever play in the NFL and even fewer will be NFL quarterbacks, but everyone has the ability to help their community. When the Brees family saw the need in their new home of New Orleans, they expanded their work to help. Helping others with the gifts we have is how we become a blessing to our community, our city and the world.
Rev. Keith King, Online Campus Pastor
