CHARLOTTE — Carolina Panthers cornerback Jaycee Horn is teaming up with United Way of Greater Charlotte to help support the Grier Heights community.
Horn said he’s long had the desire to give back, after struggling with injuries early in his NFL career.
On Tuesday, he met with nonprofit and community leaders from groups including Care Ring, which provides healthcare services, and CrossRoads Corporations for Affordable Housing and Community Development.
The former Gamecock later toured the Grier Heights Community Center, before sharing gifts with students enrolled in a YWCA youth program at Billingsville Elementary School.
“As a player, sometimes, you kind of lose focus of who you are,” Horn said. “You are so caught up in the season and games but being able to get back out in the community shows you how much these kids look up to you. How much they respect you.”
[ Panthers agree to terms with first-round pick Jaycee Horn ]
“You can be from any walk of life and really get involved in the work that we do and help amplify it,” added Kathryn Firmin-Sellers, the CEO of United Way of Greater Charlotte. “It means so much that he’s here today, to help us tell that story, and you can clearly see the type of impact it’s having on the kids to be able to see the role model come through.”
Horn will return to the Grier Heights community this weekend to support community event, “Health for the Holidays.”