LARGO, Fla. — Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Warrick Dunn has been helping single-parent families get homes for 28 years.
He delivered another life-changing surprise to Falicia Hill, who became a first-time homeowner through Habitat For Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside, on Tuesday morning.
“It’s going to help me in ways I never could’ve imagined,” Hill said. “We never had anything like this. I don’t have to buy anything when I move in here. I’m so grateful. All the money I was saving and acquired through Habitat, I can literally keep that.”
WATCH: Former Bucs RB Warrick Dunn helps single mom into new home
When Hill and her three children arrived, they were shocked to find waiting in the driveway. Through his Warrick Dunn Charities, he presented the family with a $5,000 down payment assistance check.
“I was always taught you give a hand-up, not a hand-out. Everything I had to work for, I try to lead by example,” Dunn said.
When Dunn led the family through their new house, the shelves were stocked with food and $10,000 worth of home furnishings.
“My heart sunk right into my stomach,” Hill said. “When I walked inside, they blew me away. It was more than I ever imagined.”
Since 1997, Dunn has presented 241 homes to families nationwide, with 63 in the Tampa Bay region.
“This is what it’s about, impacting the community that helps me get through life a lot of time. I can revert back to these memories when you hand them the keys, they walk through the door, and their expressions, and the kids going to their rooms. How emotional,” Dunn said. “Those are priceless moments. I can’t even make that up in my head. I’m seeing it. Those are things I cherish that help me when I have tough days.”
He began this charity in honor of his mother, Debby, a single mom and police officer who was murdered while working off duty. In every home, Dunn leaves something that reminds him of his mom.
“Every home, we put in apple pies. Going on 28 years. It would be apple pie in 200-plus homes. It’s a treat. I tell them, if you guys don’t eat that apple pie, I’ll take it,” he said.
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