By Lisa Zimmerman | Engagement Insider
Pierre Garçon’s life has been full of twists and turns. He was born in the small town of Carmel, New York located approximately 60 miles north of New York City. At that time, his parents, Haitian immigrants, were temporary farm workers whose three older daughters were still in Haiti.
In short order the family relocated to Florida, which Garçon still considers home. The close-knit family settled in, but when he was six years old, Garçon’s father died. The burden fell to his mother and sisters, to keep food on the table. And his mother made certain to instill in all of her children the value of hard work in everything that they did.
It would have been hard to imagine that Garçon would become an NFL starting wide receiver, but that’s exactly what happened. However his road to success was a little bit tricky. Always a talented athlete, especially in football and soccer, Garçon placed much less attention on his schoolwork, so, rather than ending up at a Division I school he found himself at tiny Norwich University in Vermont. He subsequently transferred to Mt. Union College, where he made his mark and the Indianapolis Colts followed, selecting him in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL Draft.
Now Garçon, currently playing for Washington, is doing what he can to make the lives of others easier. The Pierre Garçon Helping Hands Foundation is focused on providing assistance in the community wherever it’s needed and wherever he can help.
One special person who has come into Garçon’s life through this work is a young man named Juwaan Espinal. Espinal, who lives in the Washington, D.C. area, was born with cerebral palsy. But, that hasn’t stopped him from being a die-hard football fan. In fact, the football players at Espinal’s high school has so embraced him that they made him captain of their team.
Although Espinal, whose favorite NFL team is Washington, tries to live as normal a life as possible, the needs and costs associated with his condition are steep. That’s where Garçon stepped in to help. He has already helped raise more than $20,000 to help the Espinal family purchase a specialized van to transport him.
The experience has touched Garçon deeply. It is not lost on Garçon that he makes his living because of his physical abilities while Espinal’s life will forever be impeded because of the physical abilities he lacks. And yet, Garçon has seen only a positive, upbeat outlook from his young friend.
“Seeing him deal with it is tough, but seeing him smile and happy is great,” Garçon said. “That’s what makes everything worth doing and worthwhile. Physically he can’t do much. He’s still in a great mood. He still has a good time. It makes me get through my tough days. [His outlook] is very surprising. It’s refreshing, heartwarming. He uplifts me more than what I’m doing for him.”
Garçon is also involved in helping those in Haiti, especially in working to rebuild after the 2010 earthquake, which the country is still recovering from. With much of his family still there, it is a cause that is close to his heart. The foundation is focused on a variety of initiatives there from education to health to community programs that will help heal and put residents on a track toward recovery and success.
Helping children is at the top of Garçon’s list. He has provided everything from computer labs in Haiti to playgrounds in Florida. He sees the response it generates as well as the energy and inspiration it gives to the recipients.
“[The kids] love it,” he said. “You can see the smiles on their face. They remember for a long time and hopefully that motivates them to do well.”
Garçon remembers the help he got from community volunteers when he was growing up and that has added to his inspiration to affect change. “I grew up in our church and we played sports all the time,” he recalled. “We always had somebody to take us to church take us to school programs. The guy that always picked us up, without him, I wouldn’t be where I am now. I want to put out what he put into me.”
Garçon is certainly fulfilling that goal.
For more information on Pierre Garçon and his Helping Hands Foundation: www.pierregarcon88.com.