THOMASVILLE — After nearly 4,000 yards rushing in college and close to 11,000 rushing yards in the National Football League, Warrick Dunn is after a new record in his charitable pursuits.

The former Florida State University star who played for 12 seasons between the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons helped kick off the United Way of Thomas County’s annual campaign Wednesday.

The United Way announced a campaign goal of $228,000, and United Way board member Deb Phillips pointed out that 99 percent of the money raised for the local arm stays in Thomas County.

The United Way of Thomas County supports 18 local agencies through its campaign.

“We try to make sure these 18 agencies get the money they need to provide for the people who need the help the most,” Phillips said.

United Way of Thomas County board president Gene McNease said Wednesday’s turnout, one of the largest in the organization’s annual event, shows the backing the United Way has from the community.

“It is a groundswell of support that just keeps growing,” he said. 

Dunn retired from the NFL after the 2008 season but since he was drafted by the Bucs in 1997, he has been involved in philanthropic endeavors. He started Homes for the Holidays, a program to assist single-parent families buy a house, and one of the first recipients was the mother of DeShaun Watson, who is now a quarterback with the Houston Texans.

Dunn said there was no point in time that led him to become involved in charitable missions — he also started Warrick Dunn Charities — but was rather a natural progression.

“The way I was raised and the situation I came from, it makes it easy because of what people have done for me early on in my life and what they continue to do for me today,” he said. “Individuals have inspired me so much by their actions in my life, it’s my job. It’s a natural reciprocation piece.”

When Dunn was a senior at Baton Rouge (Louisiana) Catholic High School, he was about to take a recruiting trip to the University of Alabama. But his mother, a single parent and a Baton Rouge police officer, was gunned down and killed in an armed robbery attempt.

It left Dunn in charge of his several younger brothers and sisters. 

“That changed my life forever,” Dunn said.

His mom did not own her own home at the time she was killed, and Dunn started Homes for the Holidays. That first year, the organization helped three single mothers. It has helped 150 families in 15 cities in nine states since its inception, and Dunn wants that number to double in the next 10 years.

The organization provides a down payment and also fully furnishes the house. It now also helps single fathers provide homes for their children. It also teaches financial literacy and how to better feed their children.

“We are teaching them the right way to spend money on food that is better for their bodies,” Dunn said.

After his mother’s death, he bought a house for his siblings, but there were still bills to pay. The Baton Rouge community stepped up and raised money for the family to do just that, Dunn said.

“The city of Baton Rouge taught me what it is to help your neighbor, to care about people,” he said. “There are other individuals who have reassured me of the path. You have to have people to lay the foundation and help you along the way. Things happened in a certain way that helped put me on a path that I have been on the last 20 years.”

Dunn is now a limited partner of the Falcons, meaning he has a small stake in the ownership. He doesn’t miss playing, especially as a 5-foot-9 running back playing at under 190 pounds.

“The only itch I get is to play with the kids outside because I know they can’t hit me as hard as NFL players,” he said. “I didn’t realize how big the guys were until after I retired. It tells me how special and lucky I was and am to be able to play the game. To play at the highest level, being a little guy playing with the giants, makes it special.” 

When he left Florida State — he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in information studies and since has added a master’s degree in business from Emory — Dunn held the school’s all-time rushing mark. As a freshman, his roommate was fifth-year senior Charlie Ward, the Thomasville native and Heisman Trophy winner.

“I was small,” Dunn said, “but I was a monster.”

Editor Pat Donahue can be reached at (229) 226-2400 ext. 1806.