Sunday, November 7, 2010

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This Week’s Charity Spotlight: The Athletes for Life (AFL) Foundation

Being a true world class athlete takes more than just winning trophies, titles and gold medals. Athletes are not just celebrities who play sports with excellence. They also need to be able to serve as a role model to young and aspiring enthusiasts who understand what it means to live a healthy lifestyle, a passion to win, and a desire to give back to the community. This is the core of an organization like The Athletes for Life (AFL) Foundation.
Save lives, one heart at a time. This is the vision of the AFL, and with some of the most popular athletes working together to help make a difference, they have touched more lives than they have possibly imagined. Founded by Olympic and Super Bowl champion Willie Gault, the AFL houses some of the biggest names in the world of sports. This is combined with medical professionals and other key individuals have worked together in making sure that they are able to educate disadvantaged families through medical initiatives. They have also taken the opportunity to create opportunities for people in need, across the globe. This has helped bring people closer together and focused on what tomorrow will bring for the community and the nation.

Visit tomorrow to learn more about the most popular and world class athletes who have been actively involved in The Athletes for Life Foundation.

Because of the hectic lives we lead, our younger generations sometimes find it difficult to seek a role model that is able to share insight and action. This is what the Athletes For Life Foundation (AFL) has focused on. Their strong partnership with several different organizations such as Pro-Sports Legends, Olympic Athletes, Corporations That Care and Community Leaders have shown how they have truly put health, safety and hope as some of their key priorities.
The AFL’s goal is to give the term “role model” a whole new meaning. And what better way to make this possible than to find someone who is able to serve as an inspiration to young individuals and families? Magic Johnson is one of these icons.
Earvin “Magic” Johnson is a legendary name in the NBA. As a point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers, Johnsonwas able to really establish himself as one of the greatest players of his generation and beyond. Hailed as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996, into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002, it was evident how Magic took his craft seriously and how he has focused on becoming one of the world’s best athletes. He was also awarded as the Greatest NBA Point Guard of All Time. A lot of people know Magic Johnson as the popular point guard with a long time rivalry with Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics, but there was more to Magic than just basketball. He had a heart for service, and this is what he built his life around as a result of his fame.

Visit tomorrow to learn more about how Magic has been active in several causes, and how his own personal struggles brought him to be a founding member for the Athletes for Life Foundation.
As a founding member for the Athletes for Life Foundation (AFL), NBA Legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson served as a beacon of support, encouragement and inspiration for people who are struggling and need to believe in themselves more. The efforts that Magic has been putting out has been essentially interesting because at a certain period in his life, there was a time that he had his own struggles to deal with. It was in 1991 that he announced his immediate retirement because of being inflicted as HIV positive. This has sparked a huge controversy in the world of sports, being covered by almost all major networks in the country. This was even regarded by ESPN as the 7th most memorable moment of the past 25 years.
While Magic could have decided to turn away from everything that he worked hard for, as a true Athlete For Life, he decided to take a stand. Working with some other big names in sports history, Magic focused his time and efforts in educating others. While he could have resorted to a life of privacy and secrecy, he aired it out in the open and promised to dedicate his life to battle the deadly disease. Together with other world class athletes, they gave influence to the term “role model” as a symbol of inspiration to those disadvantaged families.

Visit tomorrow to find more about Magic’s noble causes and how former President George W. Bush acknowledged his lifelong endeavors.

Magic Johnson, along with other athletes, have established themselves as founding members of the Athletes for Life Foundation. The organization is devoted to ensure that access to health care is available to those underprivileged individuals who want to make a difference in the world of athletics. Members of the AFL also include boxing legend Thomas "Hitman" Hearns, track and field superstar Carl Lewis and Major League Baseball outfielder Lou Johnson. Magic also shares the same advocacy with fellow NBA player and nine time NBA All Star Dominique Wilkins of the Atlanta Hawks.
Magic’s struggle with HIV did not hinder him from making a difference. In fact, he used the opportunity as a springboard to educate and help other people, and this has gone beyond just the athletes of his generation and the next. Aside from his membership in the Athletes for Life Foundation, he also started the Magic Johnson Foundation in 1991. This non-profit organization catered specifically to HIV/AIDS education, but he later utilized this to support other important social and global causes. As an athlete, Magic has supported children, education, family and parent support, literacy, economic support and disadvantaged youths at risk. His strong advocacies prompted former President George W. Bush to say that Magic was “a hero for anyone who loves sports.”

Visit tomorrow to find more about the Athletes for Life Foundation and how athletes and professionals can make a difference to the lives of less fortunate individuals.

Aside from these athletes, the AFL Foundation also brings in philanthropists, government and health care professionals to raise awareness. Fitness, education and sports are three of the advocacies that they support, making sure that each athlete gets to experience the chance to get equal opportunity in the playing field.

Magic Johnson is only one of the many icons of all time. He serves as a living reminder that in the world of sports and of celebrity, a true athlete goes beyond just the awards and the recognition. Magic may have bagged Most Valuable Player awards during his athletic career, but he was able to prioritize something a lot more valuable than that --- the ability to serve others. As a true artist and activist, Magic Johnson was able to use his fame and celebrity for a good cause, and continues to do so until today. Whether you’re trying to win a race or bag a team championship, you have to have the determination and perseverance that it takes for you to succeed. A true athlete has a compassionate heart for others, and the life of an Artivist like Magic Johnson truly reflects that.

ARTIVIST.com readers can learn more about how they can help by visiting http://www.athletesforlife.com.