March 16, 2004
East Rutherford, N.J. - On Monday, October 27, Amani Toomer picked up a copy of that day's New York Daily News and shook his head in disgust. On the top of the front page was a small photo of Ike Hilliard and Tim Carter, who, like Toomer, are wide receivers on the Giants. A headline said, "Giants Win," a reference to the team's upset victory in Minnesota the previous day.
But Toomer's attention wasn't drawn to the news of the Giants. Instead, his eyes locked onto the main headline, which concerned the plight of children in New York City who need, but have no access to, after-school and day care programs. The headline, in big white letters on a black background, said "HELPLESS."
"That," Toomer said, "is the reason this issue has become so important to me."
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So important, in fact, that he founded the Amani Toomer Foundation, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to increasing the awareness of, and providing resources for, after-school recreation programs in the New York City and Oakland metropolitan areas (Toomer grew up in Northern California). As an extension of the foundation, Toomer recently launched the Toomer Urban Recreation Fund (T.U.R.F.) to support after-school programs in his target areas. Toomer donated $50,000 of his own money to get the fund off the ground.
Although the foundation is relatively new, Toomer's involvement in the community is not. His unique combination of remarkable athleticism, positive attitude, tireless work ethic and uncompromising values have secured him as one of the metropolitan area's fan favorites, and a community leader who takes his role very seriously. Toomer has long been involved with numerous charities, foundations and organizations. For his selfless attitude, continuous commitment to charitable endeavors and constant eagerness to help other people, Toomer has been selected as the Giants Man of the Year.
"I do it because I can," Toomer said of his eagerness to lend his name and his time to good causes. "I have the time. I think it's important to help people that need help. I try to help the best way I know how, which is by showing support and donating my time. That's a big thing for me. I always felt the importance of helping others. My parents probably instilled it in me. When you have a special gift, you need to use that gift to try to help as many people as you can."
Toomer is the Giants' 2003 United Way spokesman, an honor given to players who are selfless in the community. Last year, he received the YMCA's Hometown Hero Award for his work with underprivileged children.
But that's just a start. On Feb. 3, Toomer received the prestigious Thurman Munson Award from the Association for the Help of Retarded Children at the 24th annual Thurman Munson Awards Dinner at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City.
Toomer is an eager participant each year in the NFL/United Way Hometown Huddle program, which was created by the National Football League four years ago as a way to have all 32 NFL teams simultaneously work in the community through their United Way partnerships. Last October Toomer was the featured participant as a joint group of Giants and New York Jets visited the Highbridge Recreation Center in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan to unveil a fully-equipped computer center for use by the center's after-school program, which was created through last year's Hometown Huddles contribution, as well as the Washington Heights community at-large.
Toomer is active in the Giants' Football 101 and 201 programs (which benefit My Sister's Place/Giants Courage House, a domestic violence shelter located in Westchester County, New York). He has supported and helped the fundraising efforts of organizations, including the Kids for Kids Celebrity Carnival to benefit the Elisabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, the annual Meet the Giants Event to benefit the Ronald McDonald House of New York City, The Gift of New York, Hackensack Medical Center and Toys for Sick Kids Foundation benefit party.
Toomer recently joined Tiki Barber and Dhani Jones - who shared last year's Man of the Year award for their contributions to charities and the community - and other celebrities at Saks Fifth Avenue in Manhattan to help launch Key to the Cure, a new breast cancer initiative.
"It's definitely a good feeling to go to events like that," Toomer said. "You feel like you have a bigger purpose for you to be here, for you to help more people. When you go to the Ronald McDonald House and visit a child with a terminal disease and you can make him smile for just that minute, that's a big thing.
"I really enjoy going out and meeting different kinds of people. It gets you away from the whole football, locker room kind of thing. It's a close-knit group, but sometimes you want to get away and experience some different people. You really get to experience the city in a different light. I become more of a New Yorker by going to these different events and talking to a lot of people."
Toomer has also spent much time talking to and learning about people far away from New York. In the last two offseasons, he has traveled extensively in Europe, South America, Mexico, the Carribean and Africa, his first visits to foreign countries. But Toomer did far more than take photos at the typical tourist haunts. He walked the cities and toured the countryside, and studied how people in other countries lived, an experience that forced him to alter some long-held personal beliefs.
"I look at things a lot differently now," he said. "You see another way to live, and another way to do things. It opens your mind up to different situations and different cultures."
That revelation caused Toomer to make changes in his own life. He lost 15 pounds because, after watching people in other countries eat, Toomer realized he didn't have to stuff himself with the big meals he had become accustomed to.
"Part of being a responsible person is giving back to people who are less fortunate."
- WR Amani Toomer"I saw that people elsewhere don't eat that much and we eat such big portions here," he said. "They eat substantial meals that are healthy, but they don't eat in excess like we do. I realized I didn't have to eat that much and I'll survive and I'll be fine."
Toomer's visit to different outposts around the globe strengthened his desire to be a positive force in his own community.
"I realized how fortunate we are here," he said. "There are a lot of jobs out there, a lot of opportunities - our school system creates a situation of upper mobility that a lot of countries don't have. But I think that system is slowly getting whittled away. Public education is turning into just math and science. Money for the arts is being cut. There's so much here, there's no reason why people should go without. There is so much opportunity. You have to take advantage of it. It's harder for some people than others."
Toomer's charitable contributions have extended to areas that were strictly personal interests. In 1997, his second season, Toomer began taking classes at what is now Romain's Kung Fu in Nyack, N.Y. The lessons were designed to help burn some energy and to stay in shape at a time when he was playing little. Typically, Toomer loved his new discipline and grew close to the people there, many of them youngsters. Last year, a group of the students wanted to compete at the Kung Fu World Championship in Austria. But they did not have the money to pay for the trip. Toomer solved the dilemma by writing a check for $13,000 to send everyone overseas.
"I was told they needed to raise X amount of money so they could go and I said, `you've done a lot for me, I'll just give you the money,'" he said. "What really made me feel good was there are a lot of people who say coulda, woulda, shoulda. I just wanted to give them the chance to go out and compete at a high level. Not everyone gets the opportunity because of financial limitations. To be able to give them money so they could compete against the best in the world to see how they measure up - they did great."
Toomer started his foundation for the same reason he gave money to the Kung Fu competitors: he wants to do everything he can to help youngsters. The shortage of adequate after-school care might not be a sexy issue, but it is one Toomer considers crucial.
"There are a lot of education cutbacks in the city and all over the country," Toomer said. "Less money is going to and less emphasis is being placed on the after-school programs. And I believe they are almost as important as school itself, because it gets kids to be social and involved in different types of activities. It's not just sports - it's art and drama and music and all kinds of things. A lot of music programs are getting eliminated from high schools. I wanted to find a way to put money back into it and ensure the future of alternative activities. You have athletics and all kinds of different things that are important. That's how I make my living.
"Before I started the foundation I was doing a whole lot of things for a whole bunch of different people. It was fun and I felt like I was giving back. Last year I decided I could do something for myself and contribute to a cause that I feel very strongly about. Now, with my TURF Foundation, I feel like I can really make a difference in getting kids off the street, getting kids in the right direction. That's really important to me. There are a lot of kids I grew up with who were talented and had a lot of opportunities to do a lot things. But there was such a big gap after school was over. Some of them came from broken homes. They were good in school, but it seemed once they got more free time, they got involved in different things that detracted from what they could have been doing. Then their schoolwork started suffering, then everything else. It was a downhill slope. Once you get too much time after school your parents aren't always there, and there's no one there to mentor you."
Toomer believes the many after-school activities he engaged in are a reason he is successful today.
"People ask me, `how did you stay on the right path?'" Toomer said. "I never was the type of guy to go off on my own after school. I tell people, I was always on the way to football practice, to basketball, soccer - I was doing something that kept me active and kept me going. I never used to hang around after school and did nothing. I was always doing something. Looking back on it, that's what kept me focused on a single path and not just sitting in the house watching TV."
In addition to the $50,000 he donated to get the foundation off and running, Toomer plans to make additional contributions. He plans to hold a major fundraiser this spring - a dinner or golf outing are being considered. And fans can donate online by visiting www.turf81.com.
The foundation has a board of directors that includes Toomer and his wife, Yolanda, which will meet regularly to decide how the money is distributed. A scholarship fund will be created for T.U.R.F. graduates who pursue academic advancement and maintain participation in recreational activities and community service through the Toomer Foundation.
"We want to supplement programs that are already there, instead of creating our own programs," Toomer said. "We're trying to raise money and give it programs that I and the board feel are important.
"I want kids to have an opportunity to do something. I really enjoy music. Before a game I'm always listening to music. I'm a big movie fan. I go to Broadway shows. It helps me get away from football. Those are the kinds of things I think are really important."
As Toomer has proved in his eight years with the Giants, helping others is a big part of his life.
"Part of being a responsible person," he said, "is giving back to people who are less fortunate."
Count the Giants Man of the Year a winner at that game.
