Monk, Green start charitable tour

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They have spent a good portion of their adult life working, playing and praying together.

And now, with their enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame just a few months away, Washington Redskins legends Art Monk and Darrell Green have joined once more to raise money and awareness for their respective foundations.

The timing for the former superstars couldn't be better. With their names in headlines and faces on television once more — kicking off a summer journey that will end with those faces immortalized in the gridiron shrine in Canton, Ohio — Monk and Green saw an opportunity to use their rekindled fame to help those less fortunate.

"When the dust settled [after the Feb. 2 election], we started to think, 'This is the perfect time to benefit our organizations. Why not do it together?' " the 50-year-old Monk said at a joint press event yesterday at Redskin Park. "We're more than just athletes and teammates. We're also great friends."

Indeed, their wives sat next to each other yesterday in the auditorium at the Ashburn, Va., complex. Teammates for 11 years together during the Redskins' glory days, Monk and Green also belong to the same church. And they're the first Redskins players elected to Canton since John Riggins in 1992.

Monk and Green have formed the Hilarion Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Northern Virginia that will administer funds to the individuals' signature charities. Monk's Good Samaritan Foundation works with high school students in impoverished neighborhoods in the District, and Green's Youth Life Foundation operates learning centers for younger students in the District, Landover and Richmond.

They hope to raise $5 million over the next two years, kicked off with their "Route 281: Road to Canton" tour of appearances. The still-developing fundraising tour stretches for now as far as Branson, Mo., and culminates with a Sept. 6 "Super Gala" at the new Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in Oxon Hill.

Nearly half of the events are scheduled for after the Hall of Fame induction ceremonies Aug. 2.

"This is a once in a lifetime thing, the time to leverage our celebrity not for selfish gain but for our foundations," said Monk, who retired after the 1995 season. "We [got] all the accolades for what we [did] on the field, but really our major focus is what we can do for other people off the field."

Former Redskins like Charles Mann, Gary Clark and Ricky Sanders will join the soon-to-be Hall of Famers for public appearances, corporate events, autograph sessions, dinners and football camp-style activities. They hope to add tour stops in Dallas, Atlanta and Los Angeles, as well as Green's native Houston and Monk's native White Plains, N.Y.

"Raising funds has been extremely hard, Redskin or no Redskin," Monk said. "A lot of the contributions that we could count on over the years are starting to dry up simply because of the times we're in. We're looking for every avenue ... to allow us to set up endowments so we're not always having to beg people for pennies, nickels and dimes, which we've had to basically all our careers. We're looking for this to be a big shot in the arm, which is much-needed."

Added Green, who retired in 2002: "We think there are enough funds out there, enough reminiscing to be done, enough Redskins pride and joy from the past that we can tap into even as we launch the new Jim Zorn era."