+You: A safe, decent home put us in the game July 30, 2020, 2 p.m. ET [1:48] Jonathan Reckford: Welcome, everyone. I’m Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International. Thank you for joining us today. I have been so looking forward to this conversation, which is one of many we’ve been having about the importance of housing, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. I’m a huge sports fan. In fact, when I’ve spoken to student groups about following your passion, I’ve had to qualify that popular advice. Had I followed my personal passion, I would’ve attempted a basketball career. We won’t talk about all the reasons why that didn’t happen, but I’m grateful that I can pursue another passion, which is to serve. Our guest athletes grew up in Habitat homes and will share their stories of what stable housing meant in their lives. First, I’d like to introduce A.D Franch, a member of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team, which won the 2019 World Cup. She’s played with the Portland Thorns since 2016, setting a league record for shutouts in 2017 with 11. Franch earned the honor of NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year for 2017 and 2018, the only player to ever win it twice. A.D was supposed to be in Japan with the national team competing on behalf of the United States at the Olympics right now, but with … the Summer Games having been delayed for a year. In talking about the Habitat home she purchased, A.D’s mother Raqual recalled how important it was to own a home where children can have their own yard to play in and feel safe. The yard is where A.D could be outside and play soccer every day, and on her bedroom wall, she hung pictures of soccer greats Mia Hamm and Briana Scurry. A.D is recovering from surgery. We wish her the best in her rehab. We are also honored to have with us today Oklahoma City Thunder forward Isaiah Roby. Growing up in a small town in Illinois required dedication for Isaiah to pursue basketball dreams. He recalls driving 90 minutes round trip both ways just for practice, and that was to AAU practice. But that dedication paid off. HABITAT FOR HUMANITY INTERNATIONAL 1 Three weeks after moving to Texas upon being drafted by the Dallas Mavericks, Roby joined others from the team to work on a Habitat home in West Dallas. He said, “For a family to have a home of their own is huge. It’s just a totally different situation and environment to come home to your own house.” When asked what his mom thought about his working on the Dallas home, Isaiah responded that it’s something she expects him to do. We are delighted that he continues to support Habitat’s work. Isaiah also underwent recent surgery and is recuperating. And from the gridiron we want to welcome Malcolm Mitchell, former wide receiver of the New England Patriots. In Super Bowl LI, he grabbed five catches in the second half and collected a championship ring in the victory over our Falcons. I’m an Atlantan. We are still trying to get over that one here in Atlanta, but we are thrilled, Malcolm, that you could join us. Malcolm tells of sleeping on couches and air mattresses during some difficult years of his childhood before his family moved into their Habitat home, a white house with blue shutters and a front door. That door, along with their own mailbox, was very symbolic for Malcolm because it marked a new beginning. He credits his mom and her deep faith for encouraging him. A strong advocate for youth literacy, his book The Magician’s Hat helps children discover the magic of reading. Malcolm is the founder and CEO of Share the Magic Foundation. And moderating our discussion today is Maria Taylor, analyst, host and reporter for ESPN. A native of Alpharetta, Georgia, which is a suburb of Atlanta, Maria played volleyball and basketball for the Bulldogs at the University of Georgia. She was named to the All-SEC Volleyball Team three times and was also a member of the USA A2 National Volleyball Team. She has an undergraduate degree in broadcast news and received her MBA from Georgia. Thank you, Maria, for joining us. Thank you all for joining us today. [5:57] Maria Taylor: Thank you, Jonathan. [5:59] Jonathan Reckford: Just one plug. We’re going to have an opportunity at the end of this program for you to ask your own questions, so feel free to put your questions in the chat box. And with that, I’m going to hand it to Maria. [6:09] Maria Taylor: Thank you so much for the introduction, and it’s good to see someone down in Atlanta still hanging in there. I just got to New York, and I already miss those southern ties that we have. But that brings up why Habitat for Humanity is so close to my heart. Obviously it’s based in Atlanta, and I’ve always known the great work that Habitat for Humanity does. Again, over 29 million have been helped to find shelter and build that foundation that we’re going to talk about HABITAT FOR HUMANITY INTERNATIONAL 2 right here today. And everyone who’s sitting here on this call I’m a personal fan of. As someone who covers sports, they are brilliant, excellent and have achieved things that I could never dream of in sports, and so I’m just happy to be a part of the conversation. And, A.D, I really want to start with you. And as we talk about sports, obviously there’s something that happens when you’re younger, in your youth, that inspires you to work as hard as it takes to even be considered making a national team, let alone being prepared to go and play in an Olympics. But what do you remember about the foundation that was set for you when you found out that your mother had secured a Habitat for Humanity home and what that security meant for you moving forward? [7:17] A.D Franch: You know, as a kid you don’t really realize … Well, some do, some don’t. They don’t realize that there is more until it’s been … you’ve been told there’s more or shown that there’s more. And, you know, we bounced around from house to house, and when you have a home that you’re able to stay in and constantly be in, you don’t worry about where you’re going next. You don’t worry about the … changing potential schools or meeting new friends and having to start over. You find security within that, and that lack of … or not lack of, but without that worry, it gives you time and less stress and things that you can really focus on, whether that’s school, sports, whatever your skill set is, whatever your hobby may be. It allows you to be a kid and allows you to be you without worrying about if I’m going to be staying on … sleeping on a floor or having to go somewhere to do my laundry or, you know, these different things that the luxuries of having a home bring. And it’s just, it’s so impactful because those little details make a massive difference. [8:47] Maria Taylor: Yeah, and any child that has to go through that, you know, is obviously going to be concerned with just the necessities. I mean, that’s the base level of what a kid would be concerned with. And I read an article, Malcolm, about you, and you talked about sleeping on air mattresses or just not really being sure about where you were going to end up. And that all changed. So describe where you were before Habitat for Humanity — your mom applied and it was received — and after. Like, how would you describe those two lives that you led? [9:17] Malcolm Mitchell: They were completely different, and here’s what led up to our interaction with Habitat. My family went through a divorce which caused a little bouncing around from house to house, from couch to couch, from floor to floor, from air mattress, and we found a temporary home at my grandmother’s house in Valdosta, Georgia. If anyone looks at my life or understands sport and how it represents persistence, relentlessness and just the ability to never give up, I would say that same drive exists within my mother. HABITAT FOR HUMANITY INTERNATIONAL 3 So even though we were in my grandmother’s house sleeping on … My brother was on the couch. I was on an air mattress. We all shared the same room. My mom applied for Habitat for Humanity and government-assisted housing. And I will never forget the night she found out she got denied government-assisted housing, public housing. She cried, and she wanted to give up, but Habitat called the next day. And that house was much more than just a house. It was faith. It was … it showed me that relentless effort, persistence, leads to good things. Habitat provided hope. It was the first … it was the first yard, first mailbox, first front door, first bedroom. So our life went from uncertainty and dreaming of this miracle to proof that God is real.