Recently retired NFL linebacker, Jordan Hicks, and his foundation, True Strength Ability Awareness, donated resources on Tuesday for students with special needs at three schools in Hicks’ hometown of Cincinnati: Lakota West High School in West Chester, Ross High School in Hamilton, and Heritage Early Childhood School in Liberty Township.
At Heritage Early Childhood School, Hicks delivered new art supplies and a sensory rocker in partnership with Lakeshore Learning. The art materials will help young learners with special needs express themselves creatively while building fine motor skills, and the rocker will provide calming motion to support focus, regulation, and comfort in the classroom.
Hicks visited his alma mater high school, Lakota West High School, and Ross High School to deliver massage chairs for each school’s sensory room. Sensory rooms provide a safe, decompressing space for students with special needs to take a break when needed. The donated massage chairs will help reduce stress and anxiety so students can re-enter the classroom ready to learn. Hicks, who announced his retirement from the NFL earlier this year after ten seasons, said returning home to give back was especially meaningful.
“This community shaped me into the person I am today, and I’m grateful to be able to return and give back in a way that supports students with special needs,” said Hicks. “True Strength is about creating opportunities and resources for kids to thrive, no matter their abilities.”
The donations were funded in part by True Strength Nights hosted last school year at Lakota West and Ross. True Strength Nights bring students and community members together to celebrate inclusion and raise money for local special education programs. Students with special needs are honored at and incorporated into school sporting events, and the whole student body raises funds for their school’s special education department.
Hicks and his foundation partnered with a dozen schools last year to host True Strength Nights and are hoping to host even more this year. Teachers, coaches and athletic directors can sign up to host a True Strength Night at truestrengthawareness.org.
About True Strength Ability Awareness
NFL linebacker Jordan Hicks established True Strength Ability Awareness in 2024. The foundation unites students and communities in celebrating Ability Awareness. Through corporate sponsorships, the foundation aims to fund and empower local Special Education departments to provide much-needed resources for facility upgrades, life skill programs, and initiatives that promote inclusion and engagement. To learn more or get involved, visit truestrengthawareness.org.
True Strength Ability Awareness is a project of Players Philanthropy Fund, Inc., a Texas nonprofit corporation recognized by IRS as a tax-exempt public charity under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (Federal Tax ID: 27-6601178, ppf.org/pp). Contributions to True Strength Ability Awareness qualify as tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law.
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