Conor Coady helped hundreds of children on Merseyside before his summer move to Everton.
Coady, 29, joined Everton on a season-long loan deal from Wolverhampton Wanderers - where he was club captain - after seven seasons at Molineux. But the England defender, who started his career at city rivals Liverpool, did not forget his North West roots while in the Midlands.
In 2020, he helped launch the Football for Change (FFC) charity initiative with leading PR firm ThisGeneration Communications and a host of footballing stars including Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Jamie Carragher, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Gary Lineker.
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FFC has raised more than £350,000 since its inception and recently sent more than 40 disadvantaged Liverpool children to the United States of America on a sporting and educational retreat.
A second fundraising gala is set for Manchester in September after the inaugural event was hosted in the Titanic Hotel in Liverpool last year, with funds being allocated by a specially appointed FFC board to charities and causes across the North West.
Emeli Sande and Mel C are performing at the gala with a global superstar headliner set to be announced this week, while Carragher will host a football Q&A with a sporting megastar.
There is also a special auction to raise vital money, with exclusive meet-and-greet prizes donated by the likes of Sir Rod Stewart, Robbie Williams, Manchester United and Formula 1.
Everton defender Coady said of FFC: "The Covid-19 pandemic has made the lives of so many young people who were already struggling even worse.
"The Football For Change initiative will give them opportunities in education and training so they can build towards a better life and people don’t often see how difficult that can be. I am proud to support it.
Coady added: "It's massive that we can use our platform to help disadvantaged kids and level the playing field for young people by giving them opportunities in life to showcase what they can do.
"It's ridiculous how difficult it can be for disadvantaged young people and it is important we help these kids as much as possible.
"Coming up through Liverpool you get put with kids from different areas of the country and different areas of the city. I was very lucky growing up but it was eye-opening to see as a teenager what people could be going through."
You can find out more about Football for Change and their second charity gala at https://footballforchange.org.uk.
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