IDONIJE AND OGUNLEYE GIVE GIFT THAT’S ALL HEART

A few months back we posted a story about Israel “Izzy” Idonije, defensive tackle for the Chicago Bears, about the awesome work he does through his charitable foundation. The benevolent six-foot-sixster  is at it again, with a life-saving gesture to a child in need.

Just after mini-camp in March, Idonije and fellow NFLers Adewale (”Wale”) Ogunleye and Tommie Harris (Bears), Amobi Okoye and Xavier Abidi (Houston Texans), Osi Umenyiora (NY Giants), and Nnamdi Asomugha (Oakland Raiders) embarked upon a nine-day mission trip to Nigeria. While there, Idonije and Ogunleye heard about a four-year-old who was in need of life-saving surgery; the little girl had been born with a hole in her heart.

The Heart Gift Foundation, an Austin, Texas-based organization that provides free surgery to correct life-threatening heart defects for children from all over the world, had agreed to donate the surgery. The remaining challenge–getting the girl and her mother to Texas. The family had been trying to raise the funds for airfare (Lagos, Nigeria to Austin, TX…not exactly an inexpensive flight). But as the surgery date of April 13th drew near, it didn’t look like the monies would be raised, and the procedure was almost canceled. Enter: Idonije and Ogunleye, who picked up the tab and split the cost of the tickets so mother and daughter could make the trip.

Adewale Ogunleye with some very excited fans

Hugbacker caught up with Izzy this weekend for a quick chat. “They were having difficulty raising the funds to buy the two tickets,” he told us. “During our second medical clinic the mother and the young girl were there and the situation was brought to [Wale's and my] attention. Doing the little we could was a no-brainer.”

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Bears’ Israel Idonije Makes Big Plays For “IZZYz KIDz”

Hugbacker had the recent thrill of getting to know defensive tackle Israel “Izzy” Idonije. His foundation provides positive, life-changing experiences for kids in economically disadvantaged communities. Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Izzy’s family moved to Manitoba, Canada when he was five. A true hometown hero, he’s not only the first Manitoban to play in a Super Bowl, but to make it into the NFL. He recently helped provide Thanksgiving dinner to 1,000 people, including families from the four schools he adopted through his “IZZYz KIDz” program. Extremely active in the community, devoted to seeing kids reach their full potential, and (as the video shows), the 6′6″ bundle of fun isn’t afraid to take a few hits on the skating rink. Keep reading for our interview with Izzy.

PHOTO: Chicago Bears

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