Mark Ingram Named NFLPA Community MVP

Editor’s Note: The NFLPA Community MVP recognizes players who are making a positive impact in their local communities. Each week, the NFLPA will celebrate one player who recently demonstrated his commitment to giving back to his community, and will make a donation to the player’s foundation or cause in support. This week’s #CommunityMVP is New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram, for his Shop with a Saint event held on Tuesday. Ingram, through his Mark Ingram Foundation, took children with incarcerated parents on a shopping spree.

When running back Mark Ingram Jr. won his Heisman Trophy in 2009, his father could not be there to celebrate with him. Mark Ingram Sr., a former New York Giants star receiver, was serving a seven year jail sentence.

For much of his life, Ingram Jr. had achieved his success in football without his father by his side. So when he was drafted in the first round by the Saints, Ingram Jr. was inspired to start a foundation to help children who had grown up in a similar situation.

“The Mark Ingram Foundation was created to help children who have parents that are incarcerated,” Ingram Jr. told NFLPA.com. “This is something my family and I have unfortunately had to endure, on and off, for many years of our lives.”

Ingram relates to the children his foundation helps, many of whom are missing an important role model in their lives.

“Over 1 million children in this country have firsthand experience with having a parent removed from their home and sent to jail or prison,” he said.

Ingram Jr. wants these children to know that they don’t have to go down the same path and that they too can accomplish great things. He wants to be their inspiration.

On Tuesday, and for the fourth straight year, the Mark Ingram Foundation hosted its Shop with a Saint event, a holiday shopping spree for 22 children with an incarcerated parent. The children are part of the Mentoring Children of Promise program, which matches caring adult mentors with youth who have a parent in prison.

Ingram Jr. kicked off this year’s event by talking to the children about the importance of hard work and staying positive. Afterwards, each child was given a $200 gift card for the Academy Sports Outdoors store where the event was held. 

Ingram Jr. was joined by a number of his Saints teammates, including Jairus Byrd, Cameron Jordan and Robert Meachem, all of whom helped the children with their shopping.

“It’s all about the kids,” Ingram Jr. said. “It’s also humbling when so many of my teammates sacrifice their time and off-day to help make a difference.”

The event made the holiday season a special one for the children, who left with a variety of items, including cleats, bikes, skateboards and even fishing poles.

“Seeing their smiles when they can finally get the bike they’ve always wanted, is an amazing feeling,” Ingram Jr. said.

Ingram Jr. plans to continue the Shop with a Saint program for years to come, but in the meantime, he stays active in his community in many other ways.

In October, Ingram Jr. returned to his alma-mater of Flint Southwestern Classical Academy, where he graduated in 2008. He spent time interacting with the students and took pictures with many of them.

He also purchased gear for the baseball, softball, soccer, cross country, basketball and track teams at Southwestern. Although he had planned on donating new home and away uniforms to the school’s football team, they had already purchased new ones the previous year. So instead, Ingram donated uniforms to a neighboring school, Flint Northwestern.

Many of the students expressed to Ingram Jr. and their coaches that it was comforting to know that the football star was there to be a role model they can lean on. This summer, Ingram Jr.’s foundation wants to expand its reach and will host its first football camp.

With every foundation event, school visit or interaction with youth, Ingram Jr. looks forward to continuing to promote his message that no matter your circumstances, hard work and positivity can lead to success.

“We need to let these kids know that they’re not alone and you can grow up and live a productive, fulfilled life,” he said.

--Rob Troiano
NFLPA Communications
Photos by Matt Edens