Jim Mora Count On Me Family Foundation (interview)

Profile: 2 x NFL head coach: Falcons and Seahawks, assistant coach with the Chargers, Saints and 49ers, graduate assistant at the University of Washington, played for Washington Huskies including two Rose Bowl appearances, led the Falcons to the NFC Championship game in 2004. Founder of Jim Mora Count On Me Family Foundation.

Connect: Jim Mora Count On Me Family Foundation

Interview notes:

I spoke with Coach Mora to learn more about his foundation’s objectives. He was tremendous! So much fun to talk to and absolutely passionate about the causes they support. He was chock-full of sharp comments and interesting insights. It was a pleasure to speak with him and I appreciate how generous he was with his time. I’m excited to follow the on-going success of his foundation and will be locked into the NFL Network all season intently watching his analysis.

Game Changer on the field:

Not too many coaches get all the way to the conference championship game in their first year as a head coach but Jim Mora did in 2004 with the Atlanta Falcons. Perhaps more impressive though is Coach Mora’s consistent track record of success over the course of his career. He broke into the NFL as the first ever ‘quality control coach’ with the San Diego Chargers in 1985. He chopped up tape, broke down tendencies and basically fine-tuned the team’s game analysis. (That position is status quo in today’s NFL but someone had to be the first to do it. I’d say that’s pretty cool.) That gig with the Chargers led to an opportunity to coach with his dad, Jim Mora Sr. in New Orleans. The father-son team excelled, leading the Saints to their first ever playoff appearances behind a famously stout defense . Eventually Mora would move onto a very successful run as a defensive coach with the 49ers before becoming the head coach of the Falcons and Seahawks respectively. Mora is a terrific analyst for the NFL Network today and no doubt NFL teams will come knocking on his coaching door again soon.

Game Changer off the field:

Jim Mora and his wife Shannon founded the Jim Mora Count On Me Family Foundation in 2004. But their community service and charitable work began years prior. The Mora’s have long supported the Special Olympics, inspired by Shannon Mora’s sister Whittney. While living in New Orleans, they also supported the local Leukemia Society chapter, the New Orleans Saints Women’s Association and several local shelters.

When Mora became the head coach in Atlanta in 2004 he said it gave them the “platform and visibility” they needed to create their own foundation. From there, they committed to supporting programs of “the same mind”. (Special Olympics, the local chapter of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America and other carefully chosen charities.)

Of the many important programs their foundation supports, perhaps the signature initiative is the Holiday Shop. Holiday Shop provides seriously ill children in Seattle and Atlanta pediatric hospitals the opportunity to give gifts to their families and loved ones during the holiday season. And recently, they have added Mother’s Day Shop. The idea is to literally set up ‘shop’ with gifts and decorations in the hospital (or “go mobile” as Mora said for kids that can’t get out of their room). The kids carefully select gifts for their loved ones. It’s such a thoughtful, brilliant service. According to Mora, “One of life’s great pleasures is giving.” Adding, “It’s empowering” and a “break from their hardships”.  I’ll say it is. The Holiday Shop concept is currently being recognized for its forward-thinking model.

Photo: Jim and Shannon Mora: Jim Mora Celebrity Golf Classic, June 2010

Two notable fundraisers:

Jim Mora Celebrity Golf Classic

Lucky Strike Bowling Bash

Interested in playing a round of golf or bowling a game with the likes of Bill Russell, Michael Irvin, Mike Vick, or Marshall Faulk? And oh by the way, raising serious cash for great causes. These events are for you. I mention all these names because Mora said you need to “engage people”.

Fun event with an all-star cast = engagement.

Mora emphasized that their foundation strives to keep overhead to an absolute minimum. They go above and beyond to maximize volunteer support, be it man hours, products or financial resources. He said Shannon is “fearless about asking for freebies”. That’s not an easy thing to do by the way. It takes a lot of moxy to raise funds and know the right people in the right places.

And they’ve done it twice over: When they moved from Atlanta to Seattle, Mora said they “didn’t want to pull up the stakes.” Making their foundation portable has “not been without challenges…it’s like starting from scratch.”

(An interesting problem for pro athletes and coaches that change locations often.)

Perhaps the most interesting part of our conversation was discussing the appropriate level of promotion as it relates to charitable causes. Mora said, “That’s the rub, how much publicity do you really want before you come across as self-serving?” The answer to this question is in the Pro Cause wheelhouse! Bottom line, it’s about awareness and having your heart in the right place – which he and his wife clearly do. Insofar as you can create a greater level of awareness for important causes, the greater positive impact you can have on people’s lives.

Mora agreed and said: “You need to get to give.” So true.

The last question I asked Coach Mora was about the level of support he receives from his NFL friends and colleagues? He replied: “Amazing support. There is a spirit of giving in the NFL.” He was so appreciative of friends and former players, whom years later continue to support their foundation and events. And he was absolutely emphatic that Shannon Mora is the real driving force behind the success of their foundation. “Shannon is tireless, relentless and won’t take no for an answer…I ride her coattails.” Speaking for husbands everywhere, amen.