Jordan Love Promotes Softball Game, Mental Health Awareness

Jordan Love will host the 25th edition of the Green Bay Charity Softball Game on May 23. Behind all the fun and games between Love and his Green Bay Packers teammates will be the important message behind his Hands of 10ve Foundation.

The foundation was built on three pillars: promoting physical and mental well-being among kids, raising awareness about mental health and suicide production, and building stronger relationships between law enforcement and the community.

Those themes hit home for Love. His parents were police offers; Orbin Love Jr. committed suicide when Love was 14.

“Being an NFL quarterback, you have a very, very cool platform to be able to give back and reach some of the kids that want to be in your shoes,” Love said on Wednesday in promoting the game. “In terms of mental health, I think it’s easy to be able to show kids that, even being an NFL quarterback, living your dream, you still go through some mental health struggles.

“So, it’s showing them that everybody has issues and different things that they might be fighting and dealing with. So, just telling them how I handle my life when I’m struggling with some mental health issues and who I talk to, the resources I have to lean on to be able to get through those things. No matter who you are, no matter how glamorous your life might look on the outside, everybody’s got different battles that they’re fighting on the inside. So, just kind of giving them that perspective.”

One of the sponsors of the game is Network Health. David Sengkhammee, Network Health’s vice president of marketing, said a colleague on Tuesday told him that loneliness can increase the risk of death as much as 15 cigarettes a day because it increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, anxiety and depression.

“You know you really never know what someone’s going through,” Love said.

Love’s taking his message directly to kids and families at the Green Bay softball game, which will be held at Neuroscience Group Field in Grand Chute, as well as football camps in Milwaukee before training camp and in his hometown of Bakersfield, Calif., with former high school and Packers teammate Krys Barnes.

“Those are awesome events, just be able to get the youth out there, learn the game a little bit, but just hang out with us,” Love said. “It’s something that when I was growing up as a kid in Bakersfield, we had Derek Carr and David Carr, who both had youth camps. And I was able to go out there, and it was very eye-opening for me just to be able to see someone who made it out from my city and was in the NFL.”

Love made it out of Bakersfield, too. Now, it’s his turn to be the mentor to the next generation of kids, even if they don’t become rocket-armed professional quarterbacks.

“Understanding the platform I have and trying to take advantage of that while I have this platform is pretty cool,” Love said. “It’s something that I’ve always dreamt of – making it in the NFL, being an NFL player, having a foundation, being able to give back. That give-back part is something that kind of comes with it. I want to be able to impact other people’s lives while I have this opportunity. Anytime you can make an impact on somebody’s life and give back in any way is pretty cool.”

For Love, just like it was for Donald Driver, the softball game’s previous host, sports became that outlet during hard times, which is why it’s one of the pillars of Hands of 10ve.

“The kids are the future, you know what I mean?” he said. “To be able to see the smiles and how much fun they have out there running around, trying to learn a little bit of football but, at the same time, they’re having fun out there with some of their friends, some of their peers. Being able to have an NFL player, you don’t get that opportunity very often as a kid. Especially in Bakersfield, California, we don’t have too many professional athletes that have made it out.

“So, hopefully giving them some hope to chase their dreams that anything’s possible. They could be the next kid to make it out of Bakersfield, Calif., make it out of Milwaukee, Wis. So just give them that hope, inspiration, and then just being around them, answer any questions they might have and provide them with a fun day where they get worn out and go home, hopefully sleep really well. But just have fun.”

On May 23, kids young and old will get to watch Love and teammates battle on the softball field. The 25th Green Bay Charity Softball Game will start with a home run derby at 6 p.m., with Love the “reigning champ,” as he was quick to point out. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. Click here for more information, including how to purchase tickets.