'Just follow your dreams': Braelon Allen shares his experiences during visit to Boys and Girls Club of Fond du Lac
FOND DU LAC – Wisconsin Badgers running back Braelon Allen returned to his hometown Friday afternoon to serve Outback Steakhouse to over 100 youths at the Boys and Girls Club of Fond du Lac as part of his Name, Image and Likeness partnership with the national restaurant chain.
“We’re excited to have Braelon here today,” said Dan Hebel, CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of Fond du Lac. “Braelon is a great example of what we want for all of our kids. We want them to enjoy their experiences, realize their talents and work really hard to achieve and reach their full potential. Braelon is doing that at the University of Wisconsin and it’s really cool for the Boys and Girls Club to be a small part of his journey.”
Allen said the Fond du Lac Boys and Girls Club had a huge impact on him as a kid growing up.
“I came here starting when I was really young, like first grade, so I’d been coming here for a long time,” Allen said. “I built great relationships and met a lot of friends who I’m still close with, so it was an awesome experience. If you don’t have sports, or anything going on after school – my parents were always at work – so I’d just come to the Boys and Girls Club and it was always fun for me.”
The chance to return to his roots as a “real-life superhero” and role model is something Allen said is important to him.
“It’s an amazing opportunity to be able to come back and just be around the kids who I want to inspire,” he said. “It’s something I take a lot of pride in and I try to hold myself to that standard of being a role model both on and off the field. I was in a similar situation as them. I spent a lot of time here and I just want to give them the motivation and inspiration to do whatever they want to. Just follow your dreams.”
Allen said the next appearance he has planned in the community will most likely be the charity softball event he hosted this past summer at Herr-Baker Field on the campus of Marian University.
“We’re trying to figure out a date for that right now, so we’ll definitely have another softball game,” Allen said.
This article originally appeared on Fond du Lac Reporter: Braelon Allen hopes to inspire others with Boys and Girls Club visit
