On a sunny day in Los Angeles, former Eastern quarterback and current Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo stepped into SoFi Stadium with custom cleats to highlight K9s for Warriors.
K9s for Warriors, a nonprofit organization that provides service canines to disabled veterans, has a place in Garoppolo’s heart.
Garoppolo said raising awareness for K9s for Warriors means a lot to him, and using his platform as a professional football player helps tremendously.
“The battle we fight on the football field doesn’t compare to the battle our service members and Veterans have committed their lives to,” Garoppolo said. “For an organization like K9s for Warriors to provide our Veterans with a companion to work toward healing and recovery and protect them after they have protected us, it means a lot to me to show my support for their organization.”
The lifelong program that is K9s for Warriors was founded by Shari Duval in 2011. Duval’s goal was to train sheltered canines to become service dogs to pair up with Veterans that have been affected by military-connected trauma, including post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries.
According to the official website for K9s for Warriors, the program is provided to veterans at no cost while it is designed to deliver maximum benefit with minimum administrative costs.
Garoppolo, along with 39 other players on the Rams, wore custom cleats to advocate towards an organization of their choosing during the team’s 44-42 win over the Buffalo Bills on December 8.
During the 13th and 14th week of the regular season in the National Football League (NFL), hundreds of players wore custom cleats to advocate towards multiple charities and organizations for the My Cause My Cleats campaign.
Garoppolo and the Rams season continues into the postseason as the team will face the Minnesota Vikings at SoFi Stadium on Monday, January 13 at 7 p.m. Central Standard Time.
Zaria Flippin can be reached at 581-2812 or at zhflippin@eiu.edu.
