Last May, Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III announced he was in the beginning stages of forming his own foundation to assist three new families a year financially or through other means.
On Tuesday, Griffin III officially launched that foundation, the "Family Of 3," and its website, www.familyof3.org.
Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation and Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic granted Jamia's wish to meet and throw a football with her idol; Robert Griffin III.
"The foundation is in place to help people go catch their dreams and to show them that family is always there for each other," Griffin III told Redskins.com on Tuesday.
Griffin III's family has been his backbone as he rose through the ranks to become college football's top player in 2011, winning the Heisman Trophy and reviving the Baylor program in the process. His family continued to be there for him as he took the NFL by storm as a rookie in 2012 – winning the AP's Offensive Rookie of the Year – and then as he suffered two serious injuries to his knee and his ankle in 2012 and 2014, respectively.
For Griffin III, using the family theme in his foundation was a no brainer.
"It's important to me because when you call somebody family, it means something," he said. "It means more to you and family has been a big part of my life. So the foundation we'll be working with will have ties to some aspect of my life in one way or another, and we want to be there for them in more ways than just money."
According to the Family Of 3 website, the mission of the foundation "is to continuously grow our Family with people who share our passion for helping others. In doing so, we can reach more lives collectively than we ever could as individuals. Together we strive to give people a reason to believe they can accomplish anything, and that their dreams aren't out of reach."
Griffin III said the foundation is an opportunity to "really show everybody what's on my heart and what I'm all about."
"It is dear to my heart," he told Larry Michael, the Voice of the Redskins, last year. "I want these three individuals or three families that we help to become a part of our family, whether it's the Washington Redskins or just my family, and I want to be able to give back to them, no matter who it is, what background they come from."
Already, the Family of 3 Foundation has helped Tim Maxwell – a medically-retired Marine who served 21 years and suffered a penetrating traumatic brain injury in Iraq – as well as Juwaan, an area high school student with Cerebral Palsy that has been an inspiration to Griffin III, Redskins wide receiver Pierre Garçon and many others.
Those looking for more information about the Family Of 3 Foundation can visit their website by clicking here, and those looking to donate can do so by clicking here.
.
.
.
