Play It Forward: Melvin Gordon Gives Back

 

Before Melvin Gordon became a unanimous All-American, first round draft pick and two time pro-bowler, he was a Kenosha kid, going to the Boys and Girls Club.

“It’s moments that you never forget.  It helped shape me, keeping me out of trouble. I had a blast going to the Boys and Girls Club as a kid.”

Five NFL seasons and around 30 million dollars later, Melvin keeps coming home.

“I try to stay connected to the community here in some fashion because this is where it all started. The Boys and Girls Club made me the man I am today so it’s only right that I give back to the people who deserve it.”

And give back is an understatement. Melvin has donated backpacks with winter clothes and school supplies, run football camps, dodgeball tournaments and even started his own foundation, Beyond the Flash, hoping to “Flash Out Hunger.”

“I think people are so caught up in their problems and their world that they forget hunger is a big issue.”

Melvin's mom Carmen says, “I’m so proud. Because it’s all about you passing on what effect a person or a group of people had on you and you pass it along and he’s doing it.

He’ll have a change of scenery this season signing in Denver, but Melvin doesn’t want to be remembered as a Broncos, Chargers or even Badgers legend.

“Fooball is going to end at some point and then what? What will people remember you by then? I just want to continue even when I’m done playing to help the community when possible.”