Louisiana State University quarterback Joe Burrow won the coveted Heisman Trophy on Saturday night, and while he won by a landslide it’s not just his on-field abilities people are talking about. When Burrow went up to accept the award, the Ohio native took time to turn the spotlight on a community close to his heart. His speech went viral, resulting in an unexpected boost for his home area, The Columbus Dispatch reports.
“Coming from southeast Ohio, it’s a very impoverished area and the poverty rate is almost two times the national average,” Burrow said. “There’s so many people there that don’t have a lot and 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. You guys can be up here, too.”
Burrow attended high school in Athens, Ohio and began his college career at Ohio State. Fans from Louisiana, Ohio and around the country cheered Burrow’s Heisman win — then got to work to help the community.
Burrow’s acceptance speech prompted fans to start a charity drive for a local Ohio food bank via Facebook.
“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,” an organizer wrote on Facebook. By Monday evening, more than 5,900 people had chipped in more than $260,000 for the Athens Food Pantry, the Dispatch reports.
Now, Burrow isn’t just being celebrated for his football skills — he’s being praised for inspiring people to do good.
