Editor’s Note: NFL PLAYERS, the NFL Players Association and James Brown will honor Brees and 15 other standout players for their off-the-field achievements at the NFL PLAYERS Gala Featuring the JB Awards on April 16 in Washington, D.C. Leading up to the event, NFLPLAYERS.COM will profile several JB Award winners.

Quarterbacks are usually best known for throwing touchdowns and leading his team. So, when looking for an appropriate term to describe a quarterback who throws touchdowns and carries not only his team, but also an entire city, on his back, one word comes to mind.

How about a Saint?

That’s what Drew Brees is, in more ways than one.

Brees, 30, is the star signal-caller for the New Orleans Saints on the football field, and he attempts to throw help to those in need off of it with the Brees Dream Foundation.

The Brees Dream Foundation, started by Drew and his wife, Brittany, in 2003, was formed with the purpose of advancing research in the fight against cancer and providing care, education and opportunities for children in need.

Following a successful five-year career in San Diego, with whom he entered the league, Brees joined New Orleans as a free agent during the 2006 offseason. The move presented a huge challenge—and a great opportunity—for the Dream Foundation in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

“When we came to New Orleans, we kind of broadened our scope a little bit because it was post-Katrina. It just came about where we were most needed,” Brees said. “The city was in such a tough spot at the time. I felt like our mission was to give kids the opportunity in New Orleans and provide them with a chance to be successful in life.

“Post-Katrina there were so many people that had left the city and were looking to return. But the first things you look at as a parent are, ‘Do my children have a place to go to school, a place to play, programs to be involved in, childcare facilities that are adequate?’”

With that in mind, the Brees Dream Foundation identified eight projects in the summer of 2007 and named the campaign “Operation Kids.” Brees made the commitment to raise $1.5 million with the goal of rebuilding schools, parks, playgrounds and athletic fields, in addition to funding mentoring, tutoring and childcare programs in New Orleans.

According to Brees, the “Operation Kids” campaign has been a great success. It will have raised $1.8 million by the end of next month despite meeting some challenges along the way.

“We’re really excited about the fact that we made that commitment and followed through with it,” Brees said. “Unfortunately, New Orleans has a little reputation in that people want to help and give money, but they don’t necessarily trust the system always, and I guess rightfully so. With our foundation, we want to be a reliable charity solution to everybody that wants to give back to the city of New Orleans. We want them to feel like they can trust us, and they can. Just look at our track record. It speaks for itself.”

The Brees Dream Foundation’s track record is indeed an impressive one. In addition to the “Operation Kids” campaign, the foundation has raised and/or committed over $4.5 million since 2003 to help fund programs such as Brees On The Seas, Rebuilding Through Brotherhood, The Amazing Race and the Domino Effect.

Brees has played an integral role in helping to rebuild the Saints and the city of New Orleans, efforts which helped him earn the NFL’s 2006 Walter Payton Man of the Year award.

At a time when people were looking for ways to leave New Orleans, last year’s Offensive Player of the Year felt a higher power wanted him there to help, which became one reason he signed with the Saints.

“I looked at it as a tremendous opportunity and calling,” Brees said. “Not many people in their lifetime get an opportunity like this in rebuilding not only an organization, but also a city and a region. Everyone in this city has a feeling of ownership, and when you do anything to help it, they love and appreciate you for it. You can see how much it truly means to them. It was one of those opportunities where you knew it was happening for a reason and was meant to be.”

The Brees Dream Foundation has left its footprint in every city in which Brees has played, including San Diego and New Orleans, and even West Lafayette, Ind., which is where he played collegiately at Purdue University.

Brees’ foundation helped establish the PALS (Purdue Athletes Life Success) program, a month-long camp that allows 350 to 400 kids in the Lafayette area to attend a day camp at Purdue. The camp allows the children to take classes in computers, art and financial literacy, in addition to playing sports.

Purdue holds a special place in the hearts of the Brees family, as evidenced by their generosity in 2007 when the couple donated $2 million to the university for the renovation of the student-athlete academic center on campus.

“Purdue gave me an opportunity a lot of people weren’t willing to give me,” Brees reflected. “It was the perfect project for my wife and [me] to get involved in because it was really important to me to be the complete student-athlete, being successful on the field, in the classroom and in the community. That facility represents everything I stood for while I was a student-athlete.”

Brees first took an active role in the community during his college years. One of the main motivations behind his foundation and the way he carries himself off the field dates back to his childhood, when he idolized professional athletes.

Many children today now view Brees in a similar light, including people in the cities which have been most impacted by his foundation.

“I just know the feeling I had as a young kid in terms of how I viewed professional athletes and looked up to them,” Brees said. “I just feel like I’ve been blessed with so many things in my life. As a professional athlete, I feel like we’re given a great platform and given a great opportunity to really make a difference. So many view you as a role model, so whether you like it or not, that’s what you are.

“Some guys decide to take advantage of that in a positive way and others don’t. I want to be one of the guys that takes advantage of that in a positive way and makes a real impact on peoples’ lives. My wife and I are very involved in it because we’re passionate about it and believe in it. We can see results, too, which is really rewarding.”

- Jim Flynn, Red Line Editorial

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