Search
Close this search box.

DeFuniak Springs single mother receives surprise assistance from NFL legend Warrick Dunn

A local single mother of three became a first-time homeowner Oct. 28 along with unexpected help from a former NFL star's charity organization.
Contributed photo

Samantha arrived at her new Habitat for Humanity home expecting to begin a new chapter with her three children. Instead, she found former Florida State and Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Warrick Dunn waiting in the driveway.

  • Warrick Dunn Charities presented Samantha with a $5,000 down payment assistance check and furnished her DeFuniak Springs home with $10,000 worth of items from Aaron’s, the national rent-to-own retailer.

The celebration marked the 246th home nationwide supported by the charity through its “Homes for the Holidays” program, which identifies single parents and helps them achieve first-time homeownership. While the homes are earned and financed through Habitat for Humanity, the charity alleviates the financial burden of furnishing a new home with support from sponsors including Aaron’s and Ryan Jumonville.

  • The date held special significance for Dunn, who wore the number 28 throughout his NFL career.

Samantha, an administrative professional at Ascension Sacred Heart Medical Group, supports her family of four, including her 15-year-old son, 8-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter. She completed hundreds of hours of “sweat equity” through Habitat for Humanity Walton County to reach this milestone.

The program ensures new homeowners receive fully furnished, move-in ready homes, allowing families to focus on settling in rather than purchasing essential furniture and household items.

PROMOTION

One Response

  1. We know Samantha and her children personally. What a blessing this is for her family. I can attest to the fact that the Brown family is certainly deserving of these blessings.

Join the conversation...

Continue reading 👇

Community Comments

Scott Schaeffler commented on WordroW: June 8, 2026
“2:29; 5 attempts”
Respond
“Not one mention of the Niceville Swim Team state champion winners in both bits and girls events, as well as their college signings?”
Respond
“TREXX WOE Facebook never delete You are EXPOSED!!!! POSTING IT NOW AGAIN!!!! SCREEN SHOT”
Respond
“Destin is ruined. Worked my whole adult life there left before it went dark.👋😎 Y'all can have it.”
Respond
“Y'all can have destin. It's too dark for me”
Respond
“So thankful for smart policeman that knew about the pond/child draw to water of the autistic. If not for his knowledge this child would have been out in the mosquitos...”
Respond
“Have porch monkeys taken over, I have lived in pcola my whole and they fack everything up. We have chicken bone beach to deal with. Oh I'm 67 and born...”
Respond
Ken commented on WordroW: June 4, 2026
“1:05, 4 attempts”
Respond
“I forgot to mention, I may even cross the new bridge into downtown and have a beer at one of the local bars, after all, the last time I crossed...”
Respond

GET OUR FREE LOCAL NEWSLETTER

Get the weekday email that actually makes reading local news enjoyable again.