Chris Long has always had quite the social media reputation. From posting his thoughts about current events, to arguing with fans, Chris does it all. But it’s what he’s done lately that’s making all the difference.
St. Louis Rams DL Chris Long and William Hayes sought out to see what it was like to live homeless for a night. Hayes put together the idea and the two went through with it. They were both given $4 for the night and had no cell phones and were given second hand clothing and the Rams Outreach group put makeup on them to make them look rough and homeless.
They panhandled and begged for money, and the people of downtown St. Louis were generous, and did give to them (They did not recognize either of the two). Come nighttime, it was cold and Hayes and Long had to find a place to sleep. They ended up finding an abandoned trailer of a truck. They woke up and walked back across town to finish their journey.
Chris Long and William Hayes met some homeless and went back to them, even after their journey of being homeless for a day was over. They met a woman named Nancy and man named Marty, and the two agreed to pay for housing for them for the next few months.
Chris Long and William Hayes walk the streets of St. Louis while living homeless for a day. Photo courtesy of the St. Louis Rams.
Thanks to William Hayes’ idea, Chris Long then started the Can’t Look Away Campaign. He states that when he sees a homeless person, he can no longer just turn and look the other way anymore, that he wants to help them by giving them money or whatever else they need.
The St. Louis Rams defensive line will donate $1,000 to a local homeless resource facility, the St. Patrick’s Center, for every sack they get in the 2015 season.
Chris Long is now making a difference in other countries. Chris Long and his foundation started a project called “Waterboys” which is a project/mission to bring clean drinking water to those in East Africa. On the organizations website, waterboys.org, their mission statement is as so: “The Waterboys Initiative brings together athletes from across the NFL to raise money and awareness to bring clean water to people in East Africa. A unique chance for NFL players and their fans to “compete” on a new platform – with those in need of clean water emerging as the victors. The Initiative was founded by NFL defensive end, Chris Long, and is supported by The Chris Long Foundation.”
Long is currently over in Africa along with other NFL players providing several families with clean drinking water. They are currently installing water wells at several sites and are just about finished with their first one.
Chris Long with workers holding up the sign for water well number one in Tanzania (via @stlouisrams on Instagram).
The charity work Chris Long has started doing is very inspiring. It should show us all that no matter what is going on in our lives, there is always someone who has it way worse than us. Hopefully other professional athletes and just people in general can take example from Chris Long and start to help their community, country, and the world.
