Larry Fitzgerald’s Charitable Works

Written
Dec. 23, 2016

Larry Fitzgerald's Charitable Works

Larry Fitzgerald is one of the most generous, charitable players in the NFL.

Despite what most people assume about nationally-ranked football players in their personal lives, usually being snobbish or self-centered, this is not the case for Larry.

In fact, the opposite is true. Larry emulates the many qualities of a true American athlete: hard working, a great friend to many, and is deeply involved with his community.

Best of the Best.

Larry has established the First Down Fund; A fund dedicated to giving significant gifts to more than 300 charities nationwide.

He hosts a plethora of events throughout the year, such as the Fitz Supper Club, the Double Play Charity Classic and the Celebrity Softball Game, to help fundraise for his fund. Following many of these events, he chooses a set amount and then donates to a handful of charities in need.

The first of his philanthropic efforts started with the Starkey Hearing Foundation. They have a mission to give a gift of hearing to those who need it. His involvement with the foundation started before his time as an NFL player and has continued through his work today.

With the Starkey Foundation, he traveled to to Malaysia to provide more than 2,600 pairs of hearing aids to children and adults in need.

More than just money.

These philanthropic efforts are not just a ploy to look good to his fans…they are true to who he is as a person.

“Helping others is something that was part of my upbringing, and is woven into the fabric that spans across multiple generations of my family. And in my 32 years, it’s been an ever-present and fundamental part of my life.” This came directly from Larry in a recent post from The Players Tribune.

It’s clear that he loves to support his community around him and beyond. This influence to help others largely came from his grandparents, who were involved with multiple charities themselves, and was passed down through his family.

But what’s great is that he supports various charities by doing more than writing big checks.

What Larry does is get hands-on experience with these groups, often interacting with the people who the organizations support.

The First Down Fund.

Recently, Larry held the Celebrity Softball Weekend as part of specific fundraising efforts for the First Down Fund.

This full weekend included a softball game with a plethora of big-name athletes. As a result of the game, a total of $100,000 has been allocated to nonprofits for reading and technology grants to be made in early October.

Being directly involved allows him to feel more connected to the organizations and show the impact he is making.

“The only thing that really matters is the type of person you are and the good you can do for other people while you’re on this earth.” He is an incredible person and invaluable to anybody he works with.