Charity Spotlight: Ron Dayne and Community Champions

Ron Dayne is best known as the NCAA’s all-time leading rusher and winner of the 1999 Heisman Trophy, but he’s been doing some great things off the field as well.

The Wisconsin alum recently helped launch the Community Champions program, which seeks to identify and recognize local community members who are making a positive impact through volunteerism and giving. The program works in conjunction with a charitable organization called Badgers Give Back, which primarily serves the Madison community.

The program will select one person each month to be recognized as a community champion. The winners will be introduced at a Badger home game at either Camp Randall Stadium or the Kohl Center. They will also receive four complimentary tickets to the event at whch they’re being honored, a commemorative plaque for their accomplishments, a private tour of Camp Randall Stadium and a photo and dinner with Dayne. 

The first honoree in the program was Mark Horstmann, a sergeant with the Verona Police Department who was nominated by the Special Olympics of Wisconsin. His volunteer efforts include heading Madison’s Polar Plunge committee and establishing fundraisers, including a pistol shoot and a motorcycle ride. These efforts have helped raise more than $500,000 for Special Olympics.

For Dayne, the program is a welcomed chance to give back to the community.

“My time at the University of Wisconsin had a great impact on me,” said Dayne. “The opportunities I’ve had to give back to the community helped me grow as an individual and feel at home in Wisconsin. The fans and community have welcomed me from the very beginning and there have been so many people that have been supportive of me throughout the years. The Community Champions program is a small token of my appreciation for all of the support I have received.”

If you are in the Madison area and would like to nominate someone as a Ron Dayne Community Champion, click here.