Some athletes bounce from city to city and never call one place home, but this is not the case for Sixers Legend Charles Barkley and Eagles Linebacker Connor Barwin. Both of these inspirational men are happy to call Philadelphia home, and are truly invested in discovering the positive ways in which they can impact and better the City of Brotherly Love.
With legs longer than a mile, both men sat on the stage of Arch Street Presbyterian Church on Tuesday, September 8. The room was filled with fans ranging from those who saw Barkley play for the Sixers 27-odd years ago, to those mostly familiar with the All-Star Pro football player, who is well into his second season with the Eagles.
The event was held by The Philadelphia Citizen, a nonprofit whose mission is to reignite citizenship in and around Philadelphia. This was the first talk in their “Citizen Speaks Social Impact Series”. Interviewing the two athletes was Larry Platt, the former editor of Philadelphia Magazine. Platt’s questions touched upon how athletes should handle speaking on social issues, and what these two role models would do if they became the mayor of Philadelphia. (Barwin would fix the trash issue and litter on the streets; Barkley spoke of fixing the debt and budget spending issue.)
As his father was a city manager in Sarasota, Florida, Barwin grew up learning the importance of helping his city and those in-need. He grew up participating in family discussions over dinner about how to make neighborhoods better. On Tuesday, Barwin also spoke about his nonprofit organization, Make the World Better Foundation, which has recently built a brand new playground in Point Breeze to make it safer for kids to play. His next project will be Smith Playground in South Philadelphia, for which the NFL has agreed to supply a $200,000 grant.
Barkley grew up on welfare while he was raised by his single mother and two siblings. “Most people have real jobs, some people play sports,” Barkley joked, explaining to tell the crowd how lucky he was to have been born with athletic talent. Others, he stated, work harder and make less. After achieving great success in the sports world, Barkley is now able to work towards his goal of giving $1 million to charity each year – so keep buying his sneakers!
We hope that the many people who sat in the audience walked away from the discussion with a better understanding of the importance of civic duty. One doesn’t have to be a basketball legend or a football star to make their own city a better place. As The Philadelphia Citizen’s pledge goes: “I stand for Philadelphia. It is my home. And I am its citizen.”
For more information on The Philadelphia Citizen, check out their website here. Be sure to follow along on Facebook and Twitter to find out about the next event in their Citizen Speaks Social Impact Series!
