Julia and Julian Love have talked in recent years about finding ways to have a bigger impact in the community, and focused their energy on three buckets, as he described it, motherhood and postpartum care, helping kids and combating hunger. And as much as it has pained him to miss so much playing time this season, he found a silver lining in having more time to make a difference off the field.
“The plans I’ve been making has been years in the making in terms of the impact and the service I want to do in the community. It was an offseason thing, and I think everything just aligned. Obviously, it’s been tough being off the field for so long, but it’s allowed me to gain some appreciation and get into the community more. It’s all aligned for me. I’m grateful for my wife for helping me find some resources and finding some causes that we believe in, that we’re passionate about. It’s filled that void of not playing this season.”
The ways Love has made a difference are varied and have helped communities in the Seattle area and his hometown of Chicago. He sponsored tuition-based scholarships for students at his alma mater, Nazareth Academy; has donated $25,000 to supply essentials, clothing, and appliances for children in need at Boys and Girls Clubs; distributed coats and winter essentials to over 300 children at the Seattle YMCA; and provided a Thanksgiving meal for 150 youth in Bellevue.
Last year, his annual Julian Love Youth Football Camp welcomed over 400 participants free of charge, and included more than $40,000 in gear and resource donations. He’s partnered with Dick’s Sporting Goods to host a back-to-school shopping event for underserved youth. In collaboration with Safeway, Love contributed $400,000 to provide SNAP benefits to Washington families, and supports Every Mom Chicago, a nonprofit supporting expectant mothers in underserved communities.
Love is also a Legacy Board Member of Weish4ever, a non-profit organization dedicated to uplifting adolescents and young adults battling cancer. Additionally, Love has supported the Seahawks’ Red Cross Blood Drive in partnership with Delta Air Lines for the past two years, further showcasing his dedication to community service and health advocacy.
“A few years ago, my wife and I sat down, and we had a talk about how we wanted to be more of service and just the buckets that were important to us that we’re passionate about,” Love said. “The first is motherhood, especially postpartum. You guys were all very present when we had ours, and with all the resources in the world, we didn’t expect it would be as difficult as it was after the baby was here. With all the resources, we couldn’t even imagine people without any of the resources that we had. That’s one of the buckets, motherhood, and then kids, babies, the teenage years, and my youth camps. More than just giving resources and giving money out, I think it’s important that I’m present. As a kid, I looked up to (Charles) Peanut Tillman, (Brian) Urlacher, and all those guys who were out in the community. They were superheroes to me, and so I feel like I just have to give something back, whether it’s asking and answering questions or just having conversations with kids, it’s important to me. The third bucket is food. Food insecurity is a serious deal, especially right now, so being able to eat healthy food and have access to it shouldn’t be a luxury. That’s our three main buckets that we try to focus on. We’ve done a bunch of events following those three guidelines.”
For Love, helping those in need and supporting your community is something he grew up around, learning those lessons from his father in particular.
“My dad worked super hard and rose the ranks in Chicago,” Love said. “He was always willing to go the extra mile for the people next to him, whether it’s kids my age that didn’t have the best upbringing, they were always around. He painted a good picture of how you’re supposed to act, and he always just told me to act like you’ve been there before. Whether I’m scoring a touchdown or I’m out and about in high school hanging out with my friends, there’s a way to go about living life. As I’ve climbed the ranks, he’s hammered home that point of it’s bigger than you. I give a lot of credit to my dad.”