Chris Godwin’s ‘Receptions For Rescue’ Campaign Helps Shelter Dogs Find New Homes
Former Penn State football wide receiver Chris Godwin is having an excellent season for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The third-year pro ranks fifth in the NFL with 766 receiving yards and six touchdowns on 54 receptions, which are good enough to be tied for third and rank eighth in the league, respectively.
As it turns out, each of those 54 receptions — and all the passes he’ll snag throughout the rest of 2019 — will help support an amazing cause.
Godwin has pledged to donate $50 to his own foundation for every pass he catches this season as part of his “Receptions for Rescue” campaign. The Team Godwin Foundation aims to provide at-risk children and animals a “second chance through advocacy and financial support.”
As of November 8, 24 people have pledged to donate money or made flat donations, and the charity has raised an estimated $4,409 thanks to the wideout’s 54-catch output. Godwin’s goal is to raise $10,000 for the cause.
“Shelter dogs are a very vulnerable population because they can’t speak for themselves,” Mariah DelPercio — Godwin’s girlfriend — told The Athletic. “Nine times out of 10, they’re not [in shelters] because of anything they did. We want to use the platform that Chris and I have to educate people — to change minds. It comes full circle because we had no idea.”
Thousands of cats and dogs are euthanized daily across the United States because they can’t find homes and can’t be supported by shelters. The former Penn State wide receiver helps run one of many charities that help support shelter animals.
On top of supporting these shelters financially, Godwin simply wants to raise awareness about this huge issue.
“A lot of people don’t know [about shelters],” Godwin said to The Athletic. “Hopefully, we’re doing what we can to influence people in the right direction, so they can buy in, one dog at a time.”
Godwin and his girlfriend adopted an American Staffordshire Terrier named Ziggy, and they currently live with him in Tampa Bay. They’re hosting a launch event for the Team Godwin Foundation on Monday night.
You can make a flat donation or pledge to give money per reception to the wideout’s initiative here.