NFL Hall of Famer and former Indianapolis Colts coach, Tony Dungy is donating his time a new statewide campaign. He and his wife have been fostering children for over thirty years. They are parents to ten children, seven of whom the couple adopted. This particular cause is close to his heart. Dungy is the spokesman for All Pro Dad, a program of Family First, which is teaming with the Department of Social Services to raise awareness for adoption and foster care in South Carolina.
Social Services is launching the $250,000 campaign to recruit families for those children in need. It will include TV and radio public service announcements, outdoor and digital ads, op-ed content by Dundy and Social Services Director Susan Alford, Father and Kids Experience events, and All Pro Dad’s Day chapters in schools across South Carolina.
As of September 1st, the state has barely half the amount of families they need participating in the program. They are still short by 1,310 homes. Anderson, Charleston, Greenville, Horry, Lexington, Richland, and Spartanburg top the list of counties with the largest need.
Just last year Tony Dungy collaborated with Mike Carroll, Secretary of the Florida Department of Children and Families, former state House Speaker Will Weatherford, and Kurt Kelly, head of the Florida Coalition for Children in a campaign aimed at finding permanent placements for kids in foster care.
Among his many achievements, Dungy led his team to a Superbowl victory in 2007, a first for an African American head coach. Before coaching the Colts he was a successful head coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was the first to lead his teams to the playoffs for ten years consecutively. Dungy is a #1 New York Times bestselling author with his books Quiet Strength, Uncommon, and The Mentor Leader. He retired in 2009 and now serves as a studio analyst for NBC’s Football Night In America.
