My parents worked extremely hard to ensure that my sister and I had everything we needed and, in most cases, everything that we wanted, too.  I still don’t know how they did it – especially with the added expenses and challenges that came with my sister’s disabilities (Cerebral Palsy, cataracts, etc).  But they did.  They worked countless hours to provide for us.

But other kids in our trailer park were not as fortunate.  Many families lived in deep poverty, and some of my neighborhood friends couldn’t even afford basic school supplies.  Truly heartbreaking on many levels.  Kids need to get excited about learning from a young age, and having basic school supplies is essential to making this happen.

My journey back into art continues to take shape, but I’ve know since the very beginning that I wanted to use my “gift” to help others.  I’ve already donated several pieces to charity, but I’ve been thinking about doing something bigger. Much bigger.  Something that would positively impact a lot people – particularly kids.

I told Seattle Seahawks’ Richard Sherman about my idea and, without hesitation, he said he was in.

Everyone already knows Richard’s story and how, through hard work and determination, he went from his humble beginnings in Compton, CA to becoming a student/athlete at Stanford, one of the best schools in the world, and then on to the NFL, where he’s now one of the best players in the league. Needless to say, he totally understands where I’m coming from, and why this is so important to me.

So here’s the plan:

I’ve created 200 limited-edition prints of my “The Huddle” drawing.  Each drawing has been individually numbered and signed by both Richard and me. I’ll be selling them for $200 each.

Then, I’m going to donate 100% of that money to charity.  Yes, all $40,000.