A few emails from the past week that we were asked to share with Steeler Nation:
“A quick ‘Thank You’ to Mr. Roethlisberger and his foundation.
I stumbled across an article in a law enforcement publication about the support that is given to Law Enforcement / (public safety) and others.
Although I’m sure Mr. Roethlisberger is not alone with regards to this type of support being given by professional athletes of his caliber, it is so refreshing to hear about, instead of the negativity so commonly being reported by media outlets across the country.
The fact that this is ‘quiet support’ just goes to show you that the man is a class act.
I still have to root for the Patriots when the Steelers come to town, (if Tom Brady ever gets back to the playing field), but Big Ben certainly has my respect and gratitude. Thank you! — Lt. Craig S. Fournier, East Providence, (RI) Police Department.
“I am a retired Police Sergeant from Flagstaff AZ. I just read an article about the support Ben Roethlisberger gives to law enforcement, K-9 units specifically. I am not much of a professional sports fan, but I am now a fan of the Steelers and Mr. Roethlisberger.
Please forward my thanks to him for the good work he is doing.” — Gene Harris, http://wallbuilders.com/ – Presenting America’s Forgotten History and Heroes
“I just want to share my appreciation for Ben’s character and willingness to support law enforcement. His actions are positively impacting the lives of many people…it something folks who risk their lives everyday for people they don’t even know will never forget. I bleed black and gold. In fact, just last weekend I drove my family across PA to attend the home opener against the Bengals (photo).” — J. Scott Thomson, Chief of Police, Camden County (NJ) Police Department.
“Thank you for your support of law enforcement! You’re a stand-up guy and they deserve everyone’s support/respect!” — Diana Vigil.
“Thank you for your support of Law Enforcement, it was great to meet you at the K-9 trials recpetion in New Jersey.” — William Joseph.
And from Doug Wyllie, for Police One Magazine:
How one NFL star quietly supports American police -Despite perception to the contrary, numerous professional athletes show support for police — and in the case of Super Bowl Champion Ben Roethlisberger, with enormous financial donations
Even as professional athletes like Colin Kaepernick kneel during the national anthem in protest over what they perceive to be an unfair judicial system that disproportionately targets minority populations, some of the elites who play games for money support law enforcement. This was most recently witnessed when four members of the Philadelphia Eagles stopped by to visit University of Pennsylvania Police Officer Ed Miller in the hospital, where he was recovering from wounds sustained over the weekend. Jordan Mathews, Trey Burton, Zach Ertz, and Jordan Hicks took time to visit with Miller before boarding their team plane to Chicago, where they proceeded to defeat the Bears.
Prior to that, we saw NBA star Dwyane Wade return to Miami — where he played for the first 13 years of his NBA career on the Heat — for a six-mile bicycle ride alongside police.
Bring on Big Ben
If American cops want to root for a professional athlete — Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is a good candidate.
Many officers may not know that for the past decade Roethlisberger has been quietly supporting police K-9 units across the country with generous donations from his foundation.
The most recent recipient of funds is the Arlington County (Va.) Police Department, which will use the grant funds to purchase ballistic vests for their existing seven K-9s.
In addition to supporting police and fire departments, Roethlisberger’s foundation supports a variety of community organizations, including Ronald McDonald House Charities and Make-A-Wish. Roethlisberger has pledged to donate $1,000 to his foundation for every touchdown he throws this season. That could amount to a substantial stack of cash. He connected with a receiver in the end zone 28 times in an injury-shortened season last year, and in 2014, he tied a career high with 32 touchdown passes. So send Big Ben some words of encouragement — and maybe add him to your fantasy roster.
You can read Mr. Wyllie’s full article here.
Fans can support future K-9 grants by joining Ben’s crowdfunding campaign on https://pledgeit.org/big-ben. Ben is pledging $1,000 per throwing touchdown this season to his foundation. Supporters can increase the impact by pledging to donate any amount per touchdown.
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