By Lisa Zimmerman | Engagement Insider
Growing up the oldest of seven children in Colonial Beach and Falmouth, Virginia, Torrey Smith’s family didn’t have a lot of material things. But, they did have a mother who was insistent on a certain type of behavior and work ethic.
While working two jobs and attending college Monica Jenkins was still able to instill in her children that there was a right way and a wrong way to do things in life. She also continually preached the importance of education.
His mother made it clear, and Smith understood from the start, that bringing home anything less than a B on his report card was unacceptable and was going to result in other privileges – like playing football – being taken away.
Smith’s dream was to play in the NFL and he was going to do whatever it took to achieve that. He also knew that he ultimately wanted to find a way to help others who grew up in less-than-ideal circumstances like he did and he began thinking about how he was going to do that even before the wide receiver was drafted by the Ravens out of the University of Maryland in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft.
That was another lesson his mother taught him – she always lent a hand to anyone she could and impressed upon her children that giving back was important.
“I’ve always been giving back even when I only had time to give,” Smith said. “Even when we needed help.”
Smith formed The Torrey Smith Foundation and is now passing on what he learned from his own upbringing to children in need in the Baltimore area. The foundation has a clear mission statement: “To better the lives of Baltimore area youth by providing educational support, opportunities and resources.”
“Being in [the NFL] I understand it’s a blessing and a privilege to be here,” he said. “Typically, financially [when you’re a professional athlete], you’re doing OK. It wasn’t always that way for everyone. I know what it’s like to struggle. I understand what these parents and kids are going through.”
Smith, along with his wife, Chanel, who is his partner in the foundation, now have a son of their own who will grow up in very different circumstances than Smith did. They knew they wanted to make real change, so while they started (and continue) by purchasing things like school supplies, providing families with full Thanksgiving meals and buying holiday presents, much more is starting to take shape.
“I know what it’s like to receive a box on the holidays,” Smith said. “That helps you feel good for the day, but what about really making a change in their lives?”
From the start, the Smiths have been hands on with all of the logistics and decision-making. They also engaged Prolanthropy, an organization that provides management oversight, which allows them to focus more completely on the details of their goals.
Smith has specifically targeted children knowing that not only are they impressionable and eager to learn, but they can take the information they’ve acquired and share it with their parents.
“There’s a ripple effect,” Smith said. “You’re helping the kid, you’re helping the parent.”
He also realized that sometimes it’s difficult for the children to really understand that he, and others in similar situations, actually came from disadvantaged circumstances so he explains the road he took and the importance that education and discipline played.
By explaining the specifics of his and others’ individual journeys, Smith hopes to not only impress upon the children the value of education, hard work and setting goals, but also give them the tools to understand and plan for their own futures.
In the hopes of showing that their dreams are truly attainable, the foundation is building a mentoring program, which will provide more one-on-one assistance, support and guidance to the children involved.
Along those same lines is The Reading Oasis program, which was launched in February of 2014 and which will be fully rolled-out in 2015. The Reading Oasis program will offer designated areas in participating Baltimore schools called Torrey’s Reading Rooms. The goal is to help promote literacy by providing age-appropriate reading material to the children in each participating school.
“We always want to figure out the best way to help someone help themselves,” Smith explained.
Taking the lessons from his own family and childhood, Torrey Smith sees endless possibilities to help others create their own better and brighter futures.
For more information about The Torrey Smith Foundation: www.torreysmith.org