Football

Broncos join LB Brandon Marshall in donating $50,000 to feed, educate, empower leaders

By Jon Ackerman Oct 4, 2018
Denver Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

NFL linebacker Brandon Marshall has long been an advocate for helping his community, and this week he received a significant financial blessing from his team. The Denver Broncos announced Wednesday that they would join Marshall in committing $50,000 to help launch his FEEL (Feed & Educate to Empower Leaders) Movement.

It will be part of Marshall’s charity, the Williams-Marshall Cares Leadership Program, whose vision is “to see that every child in America becomes a future leader based on seven core principles of: faith, hard work, dedication, perseverance, integrity, honesty and respect.” The FEEL Movement began in partnership with Shop Now To Fund, a conscious shopping e-commerce marketplace, and together they focus on taking care of people’s basic needs, reducing the likelihood of unlawful behavior motivated by desperation and want.

For every $250 raised through the Shop Now To Fund e-commerce platform, a FEEL Box will be gifted to families in Denver as well as Marshall’s hometown of North Las Vegas. FEEL Boxes include a 30-day supply of coupons for non-perishable food, hygienic products and a tablet loaded with digital books and programs to educate and empower. In addition to distributing these boxes, Marshall will commit both time and resources to three local organizations, each representing one pillar of the FEEL Movement: Denver Rescue Mission (Feed), Adolescents Know Your Rights (Educate) and Action Youth (Empower Leaders).

“This is a dream of mine,” Marshall said during a press conference. “I think everybody knows that I have a heart for the community. For the Broncos to be able to get behind me and the initiative that me and my team have helped to launch, it’s a beautiful thing.”

Marshall became passionate about working in the community while he was at the University of Nevada, where he wanted to get involved with Big Brother Big Sisters of America but couldn’t find the time. Once he became stable in the NFL — he was drafted by Jacksonville in 2012, but later cut by the team; he didn’t start an NFL game until his third season — he jumped in with community work for the Broncos. Before long, he started running his own football camps and starting a foundation.

“It’s just something that’s always been inside of me,” he said. “I think it’s just innate, it’s kind of hard to explain. It makes me feel fulfilled in a way as well. I have a passion for football. I love it to death and it allows me to be able to do these things — to be able to make an impact on a greater scale than just the fans and helping bring a championship. The fact that I can actually directly affect lives is what makes me feel good and is part of my purpose.”

College was also when Marshall came to know the Lord. He arrived at Nevada seeking popularity and stardom, but soon felt unfulfilled. Then he was invited by a Fellowship of Christian Athletes leader to a Christian conference in Jacksonville that changed everything.

“It changed my life a lot because I felt like the path I was on, it wasn’t pleasing in God’s eyes,” Marshall said in an FCA Nevada video. “But once I got with the right people — I feel like God sends people in our lives to guide us in the right direction. After that happened, I felt like things turned around.”

Now, the Bible verse Marshall turns to is Colossians 3:23.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters…”

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