Arizona Cardinals’ David Johnson dedicates fourth David’s Locker

PHOENIX — Arizona Cardinals’ running back David Johnson received quite a few different high fives Tuesday morning.

David, along with his wife Meghan Johnson, dedicated the fourth David’s Locker at Ryan House in Phoenix.

David’s Locker is a staple outreach of the Johnson Family’s Mission 31 Foundation, which seeks to provide opportunities, support and resources to seriously ill children and their families. The locker is filled with electronics like iPads and Nintendo Switches that kids and their families can use while they’re at the facility.

“We wanted to see what the community didn’t have and what we could put in children’s hospitals and things like that to really impact the community and help families as much as we can,” Meghan said.

David said Ryan House was chosen as the latest recipient because after looking at schools and other facilities, he felt they’d be a great fit for the next one.

“We found out they were in need of it and we wanted to help,” David said. “From talking around, we figured out this was a great fit for the locker.”

Ryan House is an organization that provides respite and palliative care for children and their families as they navigate life-limiting or end-of-life journeys. In 2018, Ryan House provided over 150 children with respite care.

“We’re really excited about having David’s Locker here at Ryan House,” Tracy Leonard-Warner, executive director of Ryan House, said. “It’ll give our kids and families access to technology that we don’t currently have.”

Leonard-Warner noted that it will give families, especially those in hospice care, the added benefit of being able to video call with families who might not currently be here while they receive care.

The David’s Locker program started in April 2018 when they donated the first locker at Phoenix Children’s Hospital.

Since then, they’ve implemented lockers at Cardon Children’s Medical Center and Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary School’s special needs program.

“The children’s faces when David walks in, they’re just so excited, but not just that, they’re excited to see the technology,” Meghan said.

David said he hopes the program will continue to expand and grow into other states, like Iowa where he played college football at the University of Northern Iowa.

“Now that we’re parents and we have the support and resources in the Phoenix area, we wanted to provide the same thing to children and families in need,” David said.

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