By DeAngelo Williams
Hey everyone it’s DeAngelo! Hello from Istanbul, Turkey! I am here with my former teammate Gary Barnidge helping out with his charity American Football without Barriers (AFWB).
Today was an amazing today for me. We were able to serve kids in the Special Olympics as well as perform a surprise visits to the US Marines that guard our US Consulate.
Our day began with the Special Olympics and it was amazing to watch the Special Olympics Kids and Families really enjoy themselves during their drills. Marshawn Lynch and I ran the kids through several ladder drills and the kids showed some impressive footwork.
Here is a picture of me with two of the campers:
Also, here is a great picture of the campers we took at the end of the day.
After the camp wrapped up we headed over to the Istanbul US Consulate to do a surprise visit and honor the US Marines that put their lives on the line everyday for us. Here is a picture of us standing outside their house on the US Consulate grounds:
We were able to shoot some pool with the guys, eat lunch, and just talk about everything that is going on their lives. Every time I see a Service Person I think I am the one that should be thanking them versus them thanking us for coming. They put their butts on the line everyday to make our country the best place to live. It was great to meet them today.
Tomorrow should be another humbling experience as we are visiting a Turkish School where the children have either lost both parents and/or have only one parent living. I love working with kids and I am glad I have been blessed with a platform that allows me to spread hope and inspiration to many of the kids I meet.
Make sure you connect with us with us social media to follow our travels as well as AFWB on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram (afwbcamps).
DeAngelo
