Lane Johnson is up for NFL Man of the Year. How Doylestown nonprofit helped his mission

When the NFL announces its Walter Payton Man of the Year award this week, a Doylestown family and nonprofit will be watching with special interest.

The Philadelphia Eagles' Lane Johnson is among the nominees for work he has done with the Bucks County-based Travis Manion Foundation and others. The foundation, named in honor of the Marine who was killed in action in 2007, offers several programs for veterans and the families of fallen soldiers.

It also connects with Gold Star families to assist them in times of need, and that's what drew the attention and support of Johnson, a veteran offensive tackle for the Birds. During the 2023 NFL season, Johnson met with Gold Star families in the host city of every away game.

"Lane's personal trainer himself is a former Marine, and working with Lane, he told him about the foundation," said Ryan Manion, Travis' sister who lives in Doylestown and helps run the foundation. "Him and Lane came together to connect with us and the foundation, and asked us to locate Gold Star families that he could meet with before away games.

"We didn't see a lot of publicity about that because Lane wasn't doing it as a publicity stunt. He told me that he was doing this because he wanted to put things in the proper perspective," Ryan added. "That was really meaningful for us, and we began to find mutual connections also with the work he does around mental health and the work we do in the mental health space."

Through his work with the foundation, Johnson is among the 32 nominees for the 2023 NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year honor, which will be awarded during NFL Honors show on Thursday ahead of the Super Bowl on Sunday. It will be televised on CBS.

"I’m humbled and honored," Johnson said. "I just think my job is to represent all the people that have helped me, and the position I’m in now is to help the community and serve those who have served me. So that’s really what it comes down to."

Johnson became involved with Gold Star families and veterans over the past few years, focusing on mental health awareness.

"The mental health stuff is really big, as far as speeches and doing that thing the past year and a half," Johnson said. "I’ve talked to lots of schools and lots of companies, so that and the Gold Star Families this year."

Johnson knows all too well the importance of mental health.

Johnson spent three games away from the team during the 2021 season to deal with anxiety and depression.

That experience caused Johnson to be a proponent for mental health awareness.

"Since it became public here, I felt like instead of shying away from it, I felt like you could help a lot of people who may feel like they’re in similar situations or headspace," Johnson said. "I was kind of reluctant at first, but since it was public, I felt like instead of shying away from it, just address it and use it to help people."

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Ryan Manion said she knew that her younger brother was born to serve.

So much so, that establishing the veterans-focused Travis Manion Foundation in Doylestown was an easy decision for her family.

First Lt. Travis Manion was killed by sniper fire in the Al Anbar province of Iraq on April 29, 2007. He was killed while providing coverage to his unit.

"After Travis was killed, my family was left with the decision of what happens next," Ryan Manion said. "One of the things we were committed to was that we were going to make sure we lived a life worthy of Travis' ultimate sacrifice.

"My mother, Janet Manion, really started the foundation, and when Travis was killed, my dad was still an active reservist and we were still very connected to the Marines," Ryan added. "So we had a lot of support from the Marines that Travis served with and that my dad served with."

Their father, Tim Manion, retired from the Marines with the rank of colonel. Janet Manion passed away in 2021, and Ryan has carried on the foundation's work ever since.

Ryan said as military siblings, her and Travis became inseparable.

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"Travis and I were born in Camp Lejeune, NC, and we were very close; I'm older by 15 months, so we were 'Irish Twins,' as they call it," Ryan said. "We moved around a lot while my dad was still on active duty. After active duty, we settled in Doylestown.

"Travis was my built-in best friend growing up," Ryan continued. "Having to move to a new city, a new state and a new school and having to start over is tough, so I give a lot of credit to military children across the world.

"Looking back, I had that person in Travis."

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Ryan said Travis was a gifted athlete, having starred in multiple sports at La Salle High School, and the pair often teamed up on coed sports teams.

Travis' commitment to the greater cause was evident, even back then.

"Travis was really driven; even at an early age, he set goals for himself and achieved them," Ryan said. "It was awesome for me as an older sibling to watch him achieve his dreams in high school and then by attending the United States Naval Academy."

In that spirit and to honor Travis' legacy, the Travis Manion Foundation has had wide impact since its inception. The foundation has impacted through programs or other aid some 78,000 veterans and over 550,000 young people, according to its website.

"Our largest is the 'Character Does Matter' program," Ryan said. "It's our veterans mentorship program, where veterans mentor youth. Our veterans have presented this program to more than half a million youth."

A win on Thursday for the Eagles' Johnson could asl be a win for the foundation.

Each nominee, one player from each team is named, receives up to $55,000 and the winner gets a $250,000 donation to their choosen charity, according to the NFL.

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This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Philadelphia Eagles Lane Johnson works with Travis Manion Foundation