There are several adjectives to describe Israel Idonije. Inspirational, friendly, encouraging, grateful, intelligent, visionary, empathetic, entrepreneur, philanthropist, athletic, handsome, hopeful, and awe inspiring are just a few. I promise that you won’t find one person that has come in to contact with “Izzy” that wouldn’t have at least three good things to say about the former Chicago Bears defensive tackle. During his tenure as an 11 year NFL veteran he has been very fortunate to play the game for so long, but his good fortune came much sooner than one would have expected as a youngster. As I sat down for lunch at Siena Tavern with my former Game Time Dine co-host, I was amazed to learn about his numerous business ventures and why he is so passionate in helping others.
IIzzy recently started Athlitacomics, a publishing company, to appeal to sports fans and comic fans alike. It is the first company to offer a high-level blend of professional athletics and super-heroic mythology. Its current creator-owned properties include The Protectors, a comic book series, and Sports Heroes. He also owns a company called Blessed Communion, which is a leading manufacturer of prefilled Communion cups. He’s involved in a top medical Q and A platform called Ask The Doctor, where people everywhere can ask a network of doctors any health-related question free of charge. And of course he has the Israel Idonije Foundation ( IIF), which is still going strong. His vision is extraordinary and his passion for helping others is exceptional.
DC: We’ve known each other for a while now and every person that has come in contact with you says that you’re an amazing person. Where did your humbleness and generosity come from?
II: Ultimately it starts with my family. I have parents that are committed to service and as missionaries they’ve dedicated their lives to giving to people. That’s the kind of the world that I grew up in, so for me it’s just a way of life and part of my culture. I’ve always felt that it was part of my duty to try to bless, share, give and enrich other lives. I wouldn’t be here today if people didn’t do that for me.
DC: Can you give me an example of how you were blessed and enriched that allowed you to be where you are today?
II: Yes I can. I grew up in a poor family with an older sister and two younger brothers. We didn’t have money for extracurricular things so growing up we were accepted into a Youth’s Leadership Program at the YMCA. The only reason why all four of us kids were all able to be part of that program was because an anonymous family sponsored us. During my entire upbringing I was a part of that program, because someone in that community paid for us to be there. At that program I was able to learn life skills, management skills, anger management, and those are things that we now teach in my programs such as the Israel Idonije Foundation. Imagine if that anonymous donor didn’t sponsor us four kids, then we wouldn’t have had that experience. The boss of that program later became the football coach at my high school encouraged me to play football event though I didn’t want to play. He also got me a practice spot for team Manitoba, although I didn’t want to do that either. However, my mother made me go because of my coach’s efforts, and I eventually signed and played at the University of Manitoba for five years. There is an endless list of people who
"I’ve always felt that it was part of my duty to try to bless, share, give and enrich other lives."
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