By Mark Eckel, Player Engagement Insider
From the time he was in high school Jordan Matthews had dreams about playing in the NFL. It wasn’t just because he knew he had the talent to make it there, he wanted to help others.
Now, in his third year, with the Philadelphia Eagles Matthews, a wide receiver drafted out of Vanderbilt in 2014, has the platform to accomplish his mission of helping those less fortunate.
The Matthews Mission Fund, established in 2016, works in communities to FEED — Feed the hungry; Educate the children; Empower the family; and Donate to those in need.
“The summer before my senior year of high school I went to Africa for 10 days. It was mission trip to Ghana,’’ Matthews, the Eagles’ No. 1 wide receiver, said. “We spent time at an orphanage and helped them build a new building. My time there opened my eyes to real problems, real poverty, real struggles. When I saw that, I said to myself, that’s my motivation to get to the NFL, or to make money where I could help and motivate people to help.
“Football is a big part of my life, obviously, and it’s allowed me to make this a lot easier now. But I’ve just always wanted to give back. And (playing in the NFL) has allowed me to do that.’’
Matthews says he was fortunate growing up in a two-parent family in Huntsville, Alabama. He saw others, even relatives, who weren’t as fortunate and that played a part in his mission as well.
“I was blessed to come from a two-parent household. My mom (Brenda) and dad (Ron) were always there for me,’’ Matthews said. “I know how pivotal that is. You see so many kids go into foster homes and they get bounced around, they get lost.’’
“New Futures,’’ a foster home in Matthews’ hometown of Huntsville, was one of the first projects for “Matthews Missions.’’
“It all came about, talking to my parents, we wanted to do something basically aiding some of the communities that have fed me,’’ Matthews said. “Growing up in Huntsville, going to school in Nashville (at Vanderbilt) and now being in Philadelphia, all of these cities embraced me. I just wanted to give something back.
“The way we started was
our mission was to feed those communities. There was a foster home in Huntsville, New Futures, it’s the only foster home in all of Alabama that keeps the parents and kids together. To me that was important, that was the beginning.’’
Through a 7-on-7 football camp where Matthews got several businesses to go along and donate money, a new facility was built.
“I got a chance to spend some time at the foster home and be around the kids,’’ Matthews said. “I went to one of the kids’ rooms and literally a mom and three kids were staying in one room. We have guys here who complain about having to have a roommate in the hotel when we go on the road. What are we talking about?
“There are real problems out there, and when you open your eyes to it, you realize how much of a blessing what we do really is.’’
Matthews has been blessed. In his third year with the Eagles, he scored eight touchdowns in each of his first two seasons. In this his third season he has already become rookie quarterback Carson Wentz’s favorite target.
Helping kids and working in the community means more to the talented wide receiver than any touchdown catch.
“It means 10 times more,’’ Matthews said. “People hear that, but it’s so true. When football is over, there will be another Jordan Matthews. The real question to me is: ‘What did you do when you had this platform?’
“Our business is so much about, you, you, you and everyone telling you how good you are, or even if they tell you had bad you are, it’s still all about you. When you take the lens off yourself and you look at people who don’t have as much it makes things much better and you appreciate it so much more.’’