Former NFL running back Warrick Dunn surprises Iowa mom with new home
KNOXVILLE — As soon as Nikole Cunningham saw former NFL player Warrick Dunn and more than 60 people standing on her driveway, she knew something was up.
The former Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back was there to surprise her with a furnished home on behalf of his charity that works to turn single parents into homeowners.
"When we first talked about it, it was gonna be an empty house that I can move into later on because there's a house inspection. But everyone was lying," said Cunningham, laughing. "There's not a house inspection, I can move in today basically."
Cunningham's home marked Warrick Dunn Charities' 217th giveaway across the country as part of its Homes for the Holidays program. The charity partners with Aaron's, a lease-to-own furniture company, to fully stock a house with everything from cookware to bedsheets — all the things needed to be live-in ready.
The home was financed and built by Habitat for Humanity of Marion County. Aaron's provided $10,000 worth of furnishings and Dunn's charity wrote a $5,000 down payment assistance check. Several members of the community pitched in with building the house.
Warrick Dunn Charities heard about Cunningham from Habitat for Humanity of Marion County, who partnered with Dunn previously on a house in Pleasantville.
Dunn was raised by a single mother, Betty Smothers, who died in the line of duty as a police officer. Her lifelong dream was to become a homeowner, so his charity allows him to pass that dream along to others in similar circumstances.
"When you're actually handing the keys over and you're walking through the home with the family, you're starting to witness that life changing moment," Dunn said. " It's just moments that are captured that I think we all cherish."
Where Cunningham lived previously was not wheelchair-friendly, though her 4-year-old daughter, Kenndal, has a physical disability and uses a wheelchair. Cunningham lived in Knoxville her whole life, where she works for her family's financial services business. She is, "widely known and loved in the community," according to a news release promoting the event.
"My old house had steps everywhere. It was just a worrying time, I didn't know what I was gonna do in the future," Cunningham said. "When they came to me with this opportunity of getting this house, it's the biggest blessing I have. This was the biggest worry and they just wiped it away from me."
Noelle Alviz-Gransee is a breaking news reporter at the Des Moines Register. Follow her on Twitter@NoelleHannika or email her at NAlvizGransee@registermedia.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Former NFL running back Warrick Dunn surprises Iowa mom with new home
