Former Tampa Bay Buccaneer Warrick Dunn hosts charity reunion in Palm Harbor
Dunn's charity celebrates 28 years of housing
Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Warrick Dunn joined around 100 single moms and dads and their families at Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor this weekend to celebrate nearly three decades of his charity assisting single parents become homeowners. FOX 13's Ariel Plasencia reports.
PALM HARBOR, Fla. - Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Warrick Dunn is joining around 100 single moms and dads and their families at Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor to celebrate nearly three decades of his charity assisting single parents become homeowners.
Warrick Dunn Charities reunion in Palm Harbor
What we know:
Families arrived in Palm Harbor on Friday from the Tampa Bay area and other states, including Louisiana — sharing a common bond as homeowners thanks to Warrick Dunn Charities.
This weekend, single moms and dads are gathering with their families to celebrate the charity’s 28-year reunion.
"We want to create that stability to help families help themselves," Dunn said.
RELATED: Tampa Bay Buccaneers legend Warrick Dunn gives back to Sarasota family in his mother's honor
Warrick Dunn
The legacy of Betty Smothers
The backstory:
Dunn’s mission began because of his late mother, Betty Smothers. Smothers was a Baton Rouge police officer who was shot and killed during a robbery in 1993.
Dunn — who was almost 18-years-old at the time — was left to raise his five younger siblings. He eventually turned his mother's dream of homeownership into a lifelong mission to assist others.
Corporal Betty Smothers
Generational wealth for single-parent families
What they're saying:
This weekend, attendees will have the opportunity to take financial and health classes.
Kevin Hargrove arrived in Palm Harbor from Louisiana on Friday. He told FOX 13 that he moved into his Dunn-assisted home in 2013 and still lives there with his family.
"Everything was furnished, and man, it just was amazing," Hargrove said. "Exactly what I needed during the time. I could have all my daughters with me in one room. So it really was a blessing. I really was appreciative for it."
Kayla Moton moved into her Warrick Dunn Charities house in Sept. 2025.
"It has opened up the ability to actually grow my savings account and to actually put more money into my children's extracurricular activities," Moton said.
"It isn't just a home, and it's really hard to quantify it into a certain amount of words, but it is generational wealth. It's generational improvements. It’s generational mental health," she added. "It’s everything for the betterment of yourself, your extended family, your children."
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from interviews done at the Warrick Dunn Charities reunion at Innisbrook on Friday.