Just call him Matty Nice.
Throughout his pro football career, Matt Ryan worked off the field to support various charities. In fact, hours before he announced his retirement on Monday, he participated in a golf tournament benefiting Camp Twin Lakes — which offer camp experiences to children with serious illnesses, disabilities, and other challenges — at the Atlanta Athletic Club.
Ryan and his wife, Sarah, co-founded ATL: Advancing The Lives which has a mission of “fighting inequality where it starts.” It started as a GoFundMe campaign with a $500,000 donation from Ryan and with overwhelming response, the Ryans were able to create the organization.
“I see my city hurting, which is why I’m starting a fundraiser to help improve the community for people of color in the city of Atlanta,” Ryan said in a 2020 Instagram post.
In February 2023, the ATL organization was able to provide another Atlanta charity, Helping Empower Youth, or HEY, with a $25,000 grant to help children. Ryan visited HEY and spent hours talking with kids, according to Falcon report.
Ryan has been involved with numerous other causes.
In December 2020, athletes from the Atlanta Youth Tennis & Education Foundation (AYTEF) in the inner city of Atlanta received athletic gear through a partnership with Ryan and Dick’s Sporting Goods. Ryan and the Dick’s foundation provided sports gifts to 10,000 kids in underserved communities across the U.S.
Ryan appeared via livestream video to interact with the kids as they received gifts from the Sports Matter Giving Truck when it pulled up to their homes.
In April 2023 days after Matt and Sarah Ryan welcomed their third son, Matt was at an Atlanta elementary helping create a new learning space. Ryan teamed up with Mercedes-Benz and a group called Out Teach.
“@MercedesBenzUSA, @OutTeachEd and I transformed @APSDunbar_elem‘s schoolyard into a fun outdoor learning lab for the students and faculty,” Ryan posted on social media. “Thrilled to be back in Atlanta to support these kids!”
In January 2019, Ryan teamed up with several other players, including his longtime former teammate Roddy White, to raise awareness about trafficking.
Ryan and White, who retired in 2017, were involved with a campaign called It’s A Penalty, which encourages people to take action if they suspect someone is being exploited.
Ryan and White have lent their time to worthy causes together in the past. in 2014, the two attended a dinner for donors who made significant contributions during the annual WSB Care-a-Thon. The fundraiser, broadcast annually on WSB radio, benefits the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
In April 2014, Ryan modeled jewelry at a charity shopping event at the Lenox Square David Yurman store. A portion of the sales were donated to Heifer International, a worldwide program to end hunger and poverty.
“Their focus on families and improving family situations across the globe is great,” Ryan said at the time. “Their stance on agriculture and getting healthy food and clean water and sustainable crops across the globe is really cool. They’re successful in how they spend that money, and it’s something that both Sarah and I feel like is a great cause.”
Believe & Achieve was founded in 2010 by a Philadelphia entrepreneur and philanthropist, Fred Gunther. In 2014, the foundation joined forces with Ryan, a Chester County native. Ryan and his family are involved with the foundation, which provides basic needs for children and families.
Ryan announced his retirement in a social media post that thanked his fans, coaches and teammates.
“Every day I felt the responsibility to give you the best version of myself,” he said in the post.
“I know that I gave everything I could to be the best that I possibly could.”
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