As many fathers proclaim, family is their life’s passion. It’s not a role for the faint-hearted, it’s committing to a life of sacrifice for the ones they love. It takes a strong man to answer that call, and it takes an even stronger man to do that for a stranger. Daniel Rodimer (Lambda-Mu, ‘99) set aside his trophies as a professional wrestler for the WWE in order to ensure that kids in his community know the love of a family.

In Clark County, NV, families who are unable to adequately take care of their children often hand them over to an organization called Child Haven. Those surrendered to Child Haven are provided temporary care that includes meals, a safe place to sleep and a community of peers in the same situation. After volunteering with Youth Haven, a conglomerate affiliated with Child Haven, Rodimer’s heart began to grow soft for the kids he’d met.

“Giving back to children during the holiday season is a tradition I started when I was in law school. From organizing Christmas gifts to helping make the days brighter for abused children, I have always put education and children as a top priority” explains Rodimer.

His children, thankfully, have experienced yearly Christmas traditions and home cooked meals during the holidays. Miles away in his own community, children sit alone on Christmas day after watching their parents leave them with a frozen dinner. He cannot control each of their situations, but he can provide them with a gift under the tree.

The act of giving a child a present begins with knowing what they want. Without knowing each child on a personal level, Rodimer wouldn’t know what they’d like to unwrap on Christmas day. With that thought it mind, it was clear he and his wife were to take them out of temporary housing for a day of shopping. They wouldn’t be shopping for one another; they would be shopping for themselves for a change.

Rodimer explains his role in Child Haven, “Not only are the children provided an opportunity to get toys, but we make sure they are surrounded by positive role models.”

With his connections to the WWE, he was able to make a few phone calls to get some of the top professional wrestlers to visit the kids of Child Haven. Not only were they able to get autographs from the wrestlers, but they were able to spend one-on-one time with an admired individual.

Although a number of high-profile professional wrestlers are in attendance, the one admired most of all is Rodimer. Year after year, he commits countless hours during the holiday season to serving Child Haven; this is his Christmas tradition. Seeing the kids play with their brand new toys makes the time, effort and money worth every penny.

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Along with his successful career in the WWE, Daniel Rodimer is working with the state of Nevada to serve on a larger scale. If you’d like to learn more about his current whereabouts, visit: https://danrodimer.com/

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