Exton native Matt Ryan just announced his retirement from professional football, yet he’s far from retiring from his charity and donation work that he has been passionate about throughout his career, writes Alexis Stevens for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Ryan has involved himself in caring for multiple causes, including founding ATL: Advancing The Lives with his wife, Sarah. It originally started as a GoFundMe, but has since become a mission of “fighting inequality where it starts.”

Last year, they donated $25,000 to another Atlanta-based organization called Helping Empower Youth, or HEY, to help children.

“I see my city hurting, which is why I’m starting a fundraiser to help improve the community for people of color in the city of Atlanta,” he wrote in an Instagram post in 2020.

In December 2020, he partnered with Dick’s Sporting Goods to bring athletic gear to athletes from the Atlanta Youth Tennis & Education Foundation. Ryan even stuck around on a livestream video when the truck pulled up to surprise the kids with the gear.

Not only has he participated in numerous adventures on his own, but he has also paired with teammates like Roddy White from the Atlanta Falcons. They have raised awareness for trafficking and attend a dinner for donors of a fundraiser that benefited children’s healthcare in Atlanta.

“Every day I felt the responsibility to give you the best version of myself,” he said in his retirement announcement. “I know that I gave everything I could to be the best that I possibly could.”

Read more about Matt Ryan’s charity organizations and his retirement in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

_____