Steelers defensive lineman Cam Heyward is the official spokesman for the #SpreadHope campaign to promote The Pittsburgh Foundation’s Emergency Action Fund, which helps nonprofits care for those in need at this critical time during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I have always had a deep connection to Pittsburgh,” says Heyward. “I wasn’t sure who or how I could help during the COVID-19 crisis, but through The Pittsburgh Foundation’s Emergency Action Fund, I can help. There are so many people that need help whether it’s through childcare, health care, food, housing or plenty of other things — this fund helps nonprofits do exactly that.”
His TV spot for the campaign can be viewed below and here.
Heyward originally jumped into the coronavirus crisis with a heartfelt editorial, in The Players’ Tribune, about his own Pittsburgh grandmother, and the importance of checking on your elderly family members, talking them into staying home and helping them get the food and supplies that they need.
Heyward was born in Pittsburgh. His father was Pitt great and NFL star running back Craig “Ironhead” Hewyard. He played football at Ohio State and was drafted by his hometown team, the Steelers. In 2018, he was nominated for a Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, presented annually by the NFL honoring a players “volunteer and charity work, as well as excellence on the field.”