ATLANTA – Former Atlanta Falcons running back Warrick Dunn recently presented Yury Bonilla, a single mother of three, a $5,000 down payment to pay for her family’s new home in Snellville, near Atlanta.
Dunn also presented Bonilla $10,000 in home furnishings for the family through his Warrick Dunn Charities.
The single mother’s children — 15-year-old Christopher, 10-year-old Nicole and 8-month-old Thiago — have been sharing a bedroom i where they have been living. That place has also reportedly had mold and water damage.
But, Bonilla, who works as a salon stylist, was able to eventually get the local Habitat for Humanity program and a brand new home was built for her family in Snellville. Now the single mother and her three children are getting set to move in.
Dunn, who played in the National Football League who played from 1997 to 2008 for Tampa By and Atlanta, is known for on-the-field exploits as well as for his charitable works. He was inducted into the World Sport Humanitarian Hall of Fame in 2008 and earned the Giant Steps Award for civic leadership (awarded to him by former President Bill Clinton). He also received and the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year Award (for community service and on-field excellence).
Dunn credits his mother, Betty Smothers, for his desire to help others. She was a single mother who raised Dunn and his five siblings while working two jobs as a police officer and a security guard. She was tragically killed in the line of duty, leaving him to raise his siblings just days after his 18th birthday.
As a tribute to his mother, the former NFL standout has helped about 80 single parent families purchase homes by contributing the down payment and working with local companies to furnish the homes.
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