4/18/2023 football Edit

FSU legend Warrick Dunn keeps giving back to single-parent families in need

Warrick Dunn's foundation has made home ownership a reality for 25 years. (Bob Ferrante)

Curt Weiler • TheOsceola

Senior Writer

Legendary Florida State running back Warrick Dunn was back in the place he calls his second home this week: Tallahassee.

As is often the case when he visits Tallahassee, a big part of his visit was to give away houses to single-parent households in need.

Through his Warrick Dunn Charities foundation, Dunn assisted on his 213th and 214th homes as part of his Homes for the Holidays cause Tuesday morning in Tallahassee.

On this occasion, Dunn helped William Young and his two children and then LuAnn Winter and her two children, providing each a $5,000 check towards the down payment on their homes, each of which are the first they have bought. Additionally, Dunn extensively furnishes their new homes with an assist from Aaron’s furniture company, which has partnered with Dunn’s charity for the last 20 years.

“This is my second home, Tallahassee. I’m so thankful to be here…” Dunn said. “I just think that everywhere that I have lived has played a part in my growth and development. The relationships that I’ve built in Tallahassee and at Florida State with players, individuals in the media, I think really shaped my journey.”

Two days after his 18th birthday, Dunn’s mother, Betty Smothers, was shot and killed while working as a police officer in Baton Rouge, La. As the oldest of six children raised by their single mother, it fell to Dunn to help raise his younger siblings.

He used his mother’s life insurance policy to buy a house for his siblings and continued to help raise them with some assistance from his grandmother while enrolling at FSU.

Dunn was a three-time All-ACC player with the Seminoles, finishing his time at FSU with 5,273 rushing and receiving yards and 49 total touchdowns. He graduated from FSU in 1997 and launched his Homes for the Holidays program that same year.

During his NFL career, which spanned 1997-2008 with Tampa Bay and Atlanta, he started assisting with homes to single-parent households in Atlanta, Tampa, Baton Rouge and Tallahassee. The two houses he set up Tuesday morning were the 13th and 14th he’s done in Tallahassee.

“I do understand the journey. I understand why my mom was working so much just to have a basis…” Dunn said of what leads this charge. “I just want to help families that may have had a similar journey or some struggles. I didn’t want other kids to feel the way that I felt losing my parent early on in life. I want them to really cherish those moments.”

Dunn may have been through this process over 200 times with families, but admitted it’s a sensation that he never tires of experiencing.

“The look (on their faces), it never gets old. It’s a life-changing moment,” Dunn said.

Young, who was the first person to be walked through his fully-furnished house Tuesday morning, is just the fifth single father that Dunn has provided a house for. The ceremony outside his house marked the end of a long journey for Young.

As part of the partnership with Habitat for Humanity, which helps with a good amount of Dunn’s houses he provides, Young had to help with the construction of the house through what they call sweat equity.

Additionally, Dunn helped enroll Young and all the families he aids with financial literacy courses to ensure that they understand the burden they are undertaking as first-time home buyers and ensures that they will be able to make their monthly payments.

All that work seemed worth it to Young as he walked through his fully-furnished house for the first time Tuesday morning.

“I’m really at a loss for words this morning. It’s great. It’s beautiful. I just want to say thank you to everyone…” Young said. “It is a blessing to be here. It’s been a long trip and I just want to say thank you to Big Bend Habitat (for Humanity) for all the hard work and the dedication that they have given to me and my family helping us build our own home and putting us a step forward in life.”

As Dunn says, he’s providing a “hand up not a handout” for these single-parent families. He’s always looking for more help to continue providing these assists. Anyone can make donations to or get more information about his foundation at WDC.org.

“We always need donations. If we raise more money, I can hire more people to go out and do more work,” Dunn said. “It’s about impacting families, not just with home ownership but with financial literacy, health and wellness. We’re really trying to educate families on the more holistic approach to having a healthier and better society overall.”