WWE Star Spends Father's Day Reportedly Helping Give Homeless People Haircuts, Food, and Water
Lots of stars and celebrities give to others in charitable ways once they’ve made it big. No one should minimize their gifts and their efforts, and it’s always nice to see those who have been blessed in this life turn around and heap blessings upon others.
It’s really special to see a big name give to others in an intensely personal way. That’s exactly what former World Wrestling Entertainment star Mark Henry did on Father’s Day.
If you don’t know much about Henry, understand that he’s more than merely a muscled man who grappled with other big guys in predetermined fights. He’s a world-class athlete in his own right.
According to the WWE website, he’s an Olympian who went to the Games in Barcelona in 1992. He also competed in the Pan American Games in 1995 where he secured a trio of medals.
His performance at the 2002 Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic earned him a new nickname. From then on, Henry became known as the World’s Strongest Man.
However, Henry hasn’t let his success go to his head. So for Father’s Day, he decided to help a truly needy demographic: the homeless.
The Austin American-Statesman reported that Henry decided to partner with a number of residents and organizations from Austin, Texas, to help their most needy members. The volunteers created personal hygiene kits to hand out to the homeless.
KVUE reported that the kits contained items such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, hand sanitizer, soap and beard-grooming supplies. “They’ll be able to get cleaned up as good as they’re able to get cleaned up with all of the stuff that is in our kits,” Henry explained.
“I just realize that there are a lot of people with needs. I was always anti-giving people money on the street.”
He also added, “When you look good, you feel good. People want to feel presentable.”
That wasn’t the only thing that Henry did. He helped stage an event where the homeless could come and get aid.
Part of that aid involved the services of multiple barbers, including those of Chuck Smith, who is known for offering his services for free to kids heading back to school. “The community has supported me for so long,” Smith said.
“I thought about doing something to show my appreciation to the community that has blessed me so much. I wanted to do something to give back.”
So he did, as did Henry, who participated in the event offering free personal grooming. “I got a lot of joy out of seeing people smile and feel good about how they looked, it meant a lot to them,” he said afterward, according to TMZ.
He acknowledged that homelessness goes beyond mere material goods, stating, “Some are mentally ill and drug-dependent and some are not. I don’t have the resources to get out and figure out who is who, but I want to get out and hopefully touch the ones who want to be touched.”
Henry also emphasized the desire to treat these people like the individuals they are, especially because they are so often overlooked.
“People don’t acknowledge them,” he said. “They treat them like they’re invisible. 9 times out of 10 people just look at them and don’t talk to them. That’s gotta be a horrible existence.”
“People out there need our help,” he added. “Jesus washed the feet of others. Why shouldn’t we?”
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