In this article: How you can make a difference The game plan

MAKE A DIFFERENCE DAY Second in a series

Join a cycle of giving back

The NFL's Warrick Dunn helps single moms own homes, a mission that began with his mom.

By Warrick Dunn

My mother always taught me that when someone helps you, you should in turn help someone else. When she died 14 years ago, I was overwhelmed by the number of people who reached out to help me and my family -- repaying a kindness she had extended to them, I'm sure.

I'm now in a position to do a lot of positive things and use this platform not just to go out and play the game of football but also to change lives. I am passionate about helping other people by improving their lives and helping to put them in better situations.

I started the Warrick Dunn Foundation five years ago when I signed with the Atlanta Falcons. But my "Homes for the Holidays" program, started during my rookie year with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, has been around for 10 years. I created the program because my mother's dream was to own her own home, and she never had that opportunity.

So far, the program has helped 69 single mothers and 181 children and dependents in Tampa, Atlanta and Baton Rouge. This year we have our first homeowner in Tallahassee, Fla. I go through city housing programs to find mothers, they pick their homes, and I come in on the back end and give them the down payment and furnish the house. I get them to the point where all that they have to do is move in their clothes.

They don't know I'm involved, and I don't meet them until the presentation of the house. That moment is priceless. Each reaction is unique and something I will cherish for the rest of my life. And I hope that every one of those new homeowners will continue the cycle of kindness.

That's what's so inspiring about Make A Difference Day. I can see this chain of 3 million people stretching out across the nation to do good. If those 3 million people inspire another 3 million people, just imagine what we can do.

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The game plan:
The National Football League is now the official on-air teammate for USA WEEKEND's Make A Difference Day. Through October, you can read inspirational words from the NFL's biggest superstars in this magazine and watch for messages about Make A Difference Day on NFL Network's Total Access, during a game broadcast and on NFL.com.
To learn more about the NFL's commitment to making a difference off the field and to get active in your community, visit jointheteam.com.
Next in Make A Difference Day's NFL lineup:
Indomitable linebacker Derrick Johnson of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Super Bowl champ Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers and shutdown cornerback Champ Bailey of the Denver Broncos on the cover of our Oct. 19-21 edition.

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How you can make a difference

USA WEEKEND's Make A Difference Day has a simple mission:
Put your own cares on hold for one day to care for someone else. Now entering its 17th year, the nation's largest single day of volunteering, Make A Difference Day inspires 3 million people to touch the lives of an estimated 20 million others on the fourth Saturday of each October. This year, Make A Difference Day is Oct. 27.

$100,000 for charity:
USA WEEKEND, Paul Newman and Newman's Own Foundation will salute Make A Difference Day volunteers by awarding $10,000 donations to charities selected by each of 10 national honorees.

More information:
Call 800-416-3824 or go online to makeadifferenceday.com.

Sponsors:
USA WEEKEND's Make A Difference Day is held in partnership with the Points of Light Foundation & Volunteer Center National Network. Paul Newman and Newman's Own Foundation fund the national awards.