Former UVA football player Rodney McLeod, who now plays for the Philadelphia Eagles, has been on a mission to bring goodness to his community.
When ESPN’s “NFL insider” Adam Schefter, he of the 8.8 million Twitter followers, tweets about your good deeds, you know you have to be doing something right.
That was the case earlier this month when Schefter gave former University of Virginia football star (and current Philadelphia Eagle) Rodney McLeod a shout-out for his recent work in the Philadelphia community.
Eagles’ safety Rodney McLeod named the Week 14 NFLPA Community MVP after raising $205,000 while collecting 250 new pairs of sneakers and 150 toys for local families in need at his inaugural Art & Sole Sneaker Ball.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 10, 2021
As many Hoos fans who have followed McLeod’s post-UVA career knows, his service endeavors are nothing new.
Last year, the 2012 alumnus also received the Community MVP accolade from the NFL Players Association en route to being the Eagles’ nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, which pays homage to a player’s volunteer and charity work, as well as their on-field excellence.
McLeod and his wife, Erika, run Change Our Future, a nonprofit foundation that aims to empower people through education advocacy, youth development and community enrichment.
The couple has been active in a variety of areas, including cancer research, a health and wellness program for athletes and encouraging more Americans to vote.
And each month, Change Our Future distributes 40,000 pounds of healthy food to the local community through the Everybody Eats Every Month program.
.@Rodney_McLeod4 passes the #CommunityMVP torch to @thekidmcmanus for being named this week’s winner.
— NFLPA (@NFLPA) December 18, 2021
You can support both guys by heading here to snag some Community MVP merch—proceeds will go to their foundations: https://t.co/rGn3vIezCY. @asa_youth pic.twitter.com/qag435WJQr
On Dec. 6, Change Our Future held its “Sneaker Ball Toy Drive,” a fundraiser benefitting kids through silent and live auctions.
“We felt like education and health care needed to be at the center of it all,” McLeod told the Eagles website.
“Education provides so much opportunity for a lot of these underprivileged kids. There’s also a great disparity in health care in underserved communities. There’s a correlation there when you look at the two and there’s a common denominator – it’s our people, the African American community, the minorities of the world. That’s where we decided to devote our energy.”
On behalf of the entire @ChangeOurFutureFund team. I would like to say Thank You to all of our Supporters, Sponsors, Volunteers and Attendees who came out to make our inaugural Sneaker Ball a huge success. Without your generousity, this wouldn’t have been possible! #kidsfirst pic.twitter.com/kocbPw6y0k
— Rodney McLeod (@Rodney_McLeod4) December 9, 2021
The McLeods are currently in the midst of “12 Days of Christmas,” an initiative designed to encourage “random acts of goodness.” Already, they have handed out gift cards at grocery stores and surprised families with free merchandise from a department store.
To learn more about Change Our Future, click here.
Manager of Strategic Communications University of Virginia Licensing & Ventures Group
wdr4d@virginia.edu 434-982-3791
May 2, 2024
