The city of Bruceton celebrated the return of a home hero and the inauguration of a new fitness zone last week when former San Francisco 49ers linebacker and Bruceton-born Patrick Willis launched his new charity.
Excited local residents, curious onlookers, and Willis’s childhood friends gathered in Bruceton Memorial Park when Bruceton’s Mayor Robert Keeton III snapped the ceremonial scissors with Willis and made the wide range of exercise equipment available to the public.
The event marked the debut of Willis’ The Whinker’s Mind Youth Fund, a philanthropic organization committed to making physical fitness accessible to all youth.
“Patrick will be inducted into the 49ers Hall of Fame in two weeks, and in honor of his induction, he wanted to thank those who were a part of his childhood,” said Joanne Pasternack, president and CEO of Oliver Rose, a philanthropic advisory group that worked with Willis collaborated on the project. “So he started his Patrick Willis Youth Fund – the Whinker’s Mind Youth Fund, and to start it he wanted to give something back to Bruceton.”
Willis funded the wide range of weatherproof, low-impact, widely accessible fitness equipment and donated equipment for his former high school.
“It’s all weather and all access so you can take advantage of this regardless of your skills or challenges. That was very important to Patrick – he has a sister with special needs and he wanted to make sure everyone could really come and take advantage of this, ”said Pasternack. “It’s good for the elderly too – it’s not far from the senior center, and that was done deliberately because we wanted this to be a fitness area for children and the elderly.”
Willis demonstrated some of the exercises while Pasternack spoke, and even went so far as to use the equipment with Harlon Butler, the 9-year-old son of Carroll County Mayor Joseph Butler.
“It uses your own body weight to function so it doesn’t put any strain on your muscles,” she said. “Even if you’re new to training, you can use it. It has an enormous lifespan – it won’t need any maintenance for years. “
Willis agreed.
“They are free weights, so there are no weights – it’s just to move (residents) out here,” he said. “You don’t have to be an athlete to get out of here and use the machines. It can be used by everyone, old and young. “
For Willis, giving back was always the goal.
“I think it is right to invest in my community,” he said. “But most of all, it was one of the things I’ve always wanted to do. And my circumstances showed what they did, and I was very fortunate to have some great friends in the community who help me get where I am.
“Being able to give something back to the community and my origins – that means a lot. Do not forget where you are from. I said to myself ‘one day if I ever can do this I want to be able to do this’. And I was lucky enough to get where I went, and now we have it. “
Keeton expressed pride in how far Willis has come – and that he has come back.
“Patrick means a lot to this town,” he said. “Everyone has supported him since he was in high school, a great athlete he was. He made a lot of people into Ole Miss fans when he played for them and 49ers when he went there. He’s popular and respected, and it’s just a wonderful thing he’s done for us. “
Although Willis still lives in California, he hopes the launch of his new charity will give something back to Bruceton even if he’s not here.
“There’s no place like home,” he smiled. “Home is where the heart is and Bruceton has my heart. To be able to come back and give back – and not just give back, but give back something that everyone from young to old can use, that means a lot.
“It’s about inheritance. We all start from somewhere and we go through the process and the journey and we learn. We learn a lot. And I firmly believe that, despite what you learn, if you don’t give back and share and do things that can inspire others to go out and reach their full potential, then why did you learn ? One day I’ll end, but hopefully what I leave behind will continue to inspire. So I hope that this will be one of those things. “
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