Hines Ward Helping Hands Foundation

Hines Ward, retired Steelers wide receiver, is renowned for his accomplishments on the football field. Those accomplishments include becoming a two-time Super Bowl Champion, the MVP of Super Bowl XL and a four-time Pro Bowler. He was also the Steelers’ all-time team leader in receptions, receiving yards and for receiving touchdowns.

Off the field, Ward has been an outstanding man of character in his community both locally and internationally. In 2006, he founded the Hines Ward Helping Hands Foundation and has been amplifying the good work of the foundation both in the U.S. and Korea ever since.

The Hines Ward Helping Hands Foundation aims to help mixed-race children, like Ward himself, in South Korea, where they have suffered discrimination.

"I know what it's like to endure teasing and to be treated differently because of the color of your skin or looks of your eyes," Ward said at a Seoul news conference, announcing the foundation in 2006.

Hines Ward was born in 1976. While serving in the Korean war, his African American father met his mother, a Korean citizen in Seoul, South Korea. After the war, the family moved to the United States. After his parents divorced, Hines Ward was raised by his single mother, Young-He Ward, who made many sacrifices for her son. He has shown appreciation for those sacrifices in several ways, including donating money to the foundation in his mother's name and giving back to his communities.

In the U.S., The Hines Ward Helping Hands Foundation continues to help underprivileged and inner-city youth with literacy and other programs designed to help them succeed in life. In Korea, the foundation is assisting biracial children with discovering all the tools necessary to overcome adversity and achieve that same purpose.

Read more about The Hines Ward Helping Hands Foundation here:

http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2006/05/30/Ward-kicks-off-his-new-charity/stories/200605300131.