When you think of someone who is an absolute powerhouse, a force to be reckoned with, and just an all-around adept athlete the first person that comes to mind is Los Angeles Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald. Donald is one of, if not the best, to ever play the game. He makes each and every match up exciting to watch and gives it his absolute all no matter what the score may be. On the field, he may ram into offenses, but off the field, he is an absolute angel! Â
What truly sets Donald apart from the rest is the incredible work he does with his foundation AD99 Solutions Foundation. His beautiful family is on the board of directors of his foundation and they are fully involved and immerse themselves in giving back. Looking at his classy, upstanding family, it is no wonder how Donald is such a good guy!
Donald hosts a free football camp for the youth each year.  The foundation has a program called Cohort Curriculum in which offers students mentoring through various services including finding out what career they may be interested in pursuing, physical activities including training and outdoor activities, as well as leadership development, empowering them to excel in all that they do. They know the importance of equipping students with more than academic knowledge, going above and beyond to ensure that they are fully developed in every area. The foundation, partnering with Ready Nutrition, also started an initiative called “Fuel for Success”, which aims at making sure that healthy foods are provided to all and that the youth understands just how significant good nutrition is to their overall well-being. They have also hosted a Cocktail hour to raise money for academic as well as athletic leadership programs.  Â
Just recently, with the ongoing pandemic, Donald saw fit to host a free Mental Flex forum which will last for the next seven weeks, for student-athletes in which he discusses topics like health and wellness, race, gender, and society, volunteerism and advocacy and career and personal development. Donald knows that it takes more than talent and skill to be a truly good athlete. To fully be well-rounded, Donald knows that it goes far beyond the game of football and that one should give back in any way they can, something Donald excels at. Â
His foundation also donated 9,999 cases of protein water from Ready Nutrition to help those on the front line assisting those battling Covid-19.Â
With each and every person he meets, a huge smile always adorns Donald’s face. He loves interacting with and helping others and it shows. Â
The work that Donald does is beyond extraordinary. To help so many people and make such a profound impact on the lives of Pittsburgh’s youth is awe-inspiring. Donald is so full of humility and does all of this philanthropy out of the goodness of his heart. His soul is pure and so altruistic. There are not enough kind things to say about him! Donald is one-of-a-kind and a gift not only to the NFL but to the community! They say we make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give and Donald embodies that to the fullest! Kind people are the best kind of people and Donald is certainly one of them!