Submitted PhotoRandall Godfrey is scheduled to be the 2017 Changing Lives Dinner March 2.

VALDOSTA – Lowndes Associated Ministries to People will welcome former American football linebacker and Valdosta native Randall Godfrey as the 2017 Changing Lives Dinner keynote speaker. 

The dinner will be held 6:30 p.m., March 2, in the Valdosta State University Student Union Ballroom. Corporate tables and sponsorships are available, according to organizers. 

More information can be found at lampinc.org, or by contacting LAMP Development Director Sharah Denton at (229) 245-7157 or sdenton@lampinc.org.

Godfrey played collegiate football at the University of Georgia, majoring in housing and consumer economics. He is also an alum of Lowndes High School where he played football. 

He was drafted in the 1996 NFL draft by the Dallas Cowboys and since then he has also played for the Tennessee Titans, Seattle Seahawks, San Diego Chargers, and Washington Redskins.

Godfrey retired in 2008 and has a been committed to giving back to his hometown community, according to LAMP. 

The Randall Godfrey All-Star Football Camp is designed for children ages 6-16 years old and an opportunity for them to reach their full potential as a football player and young adult, according to the press release. The camp is based on fundamentals and emphasizes individual instruction.

LAMP is excited to have Godfrey as the keynote speaker for its annual dinner, Denton said.

LAMP is the mission for the homeless in Lowndes County and the surrounding area. LAMP is partially funded through government grants, but relies heavily on private donations and must show community support to receive matching grant dollars, according to the press release.

LAMP provides a shelter for homeless families, single parents, and single women with the ultimate goal of returning them to self-sufficiency. LAMP’s program requires residents to undergo life skills classes, such as money management, parenting, resume writing, and job interview skills. 

Residents must be pursuing a job, furthering their education, or actively working and saving at least half of their paycheck to continue living in the temporary housing facility. 

Eighty percent of people who complete LAMP’s program never need assistance again, according to the press release. LAMP’s motto is “a hand up, not a handout.”