Cardinals’ Star QB Calls It Quits!

Say it ain’t so, Kurt! But on Jan. 29, Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner confirmed the rumors that had filled recent sports pages, talk shows and blogs—the future Hall-of-Famer was walking away from the game.

A fan favorite at University of Phoenix Stadium, Warner was electrifying to watch as he turned around a struggling Cardinals team. He is famous for his incredibly quick release and amazing ACCURACY. And after a dozen seasons in the NFL, the 38-year-old also built a reputation as being tough as nails.

While Warner’s arm and football smarts are almost legendary, his long road to the NFL is amazing, too. Warner was born on June 22, 1971, in Burlington, Iowa. After a successful high school career, he struggled at the University of Northern Iowa until his senior year, when he was named player of the year.

NFL teams weren’t impressed and didn’t draft Warner. In 1994, the Green Bay Packers invited him to try out against the likes of Brett Favre and Mark Brunnel, but Warner was cut before the season started.

To make ends meet, Warner worked the night shift, stocking shelves at an Iowa grocery store. Not losing sight of his dreams, he signed with an Arena Football team in 1995. Arena football is an incredibly fast-paced and high-scoring game.

Warner finally got the job as an NFL starting quarterback with the St. Louis Rams in 1999. He brought the Arena-style of play with him, throwing for more than 4,100 yards and 41 touchdowns, and led the Rams to a Super Bowl win! In Arizona, Warner lost his starting QB job to rookie Matt Leinart in 2006. But Leinart struggled, giving Warner another chance to shine. Warner has led the Cardinals to the playoffs for the past two years, including last year’s conference championship and a trip to the Super Bowl.

After thanking God for making his football career possible, Warner shared what he has learned. “Sometimes it doesn’t look really bright…and there are moments you want to give up,” he said during his retirement speech. “I think I’m a living example of when you make yourself useful, when you continue to work hard, when you continue to believe in yourself, and obviously…when God wants to use you in a special way—that anything is possible.” Warner and his family plan to stay in Phoenix.

Aid from All Over Pours into Shaken Haiti

Help from around the world continues to arrive in Haiti after a devastating earthquake and strong aftershocks struck near the poverty-stricken country’s capital.

The terrifying and deadly quake shook the small island country on Jan. 12. It struck at 5:12 p.m., just 9 miles southwest of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince. Even though it lasted only a minute, the violent shaking brought down countless homes and other buildings in the overly crowded capital. Even the presidential palace was badly damaged. Port-au-Prince has a population of about 2 million people.

The killer quake may end up claiming 200,000 to 300,000 lives. Up to 3 million Haitians were affected by the quake—injured and/or left homeless.

Countless survivors filled the streets and other open areas throughout the city. The quake knocked out electricity, running water and phone service.

Haiti is part of a Caribbean island just a few hundred miles southeast of the tip of Florida. Search and rescue teams from countries like China, France, Canada, Iceland and the United States arrived quickly to help search the mountains of rubble for survivors. Food, blankets, temporary shelters and medical supplies from all over the globe continue to arrive at the Port-au-Prince airport, which is being run by the U.S. military on an emergency basis.

President Barack Obama promised $100 million and sent a small fleet of Navy ships, including the hospital ship USS Comfort, to help. Thousands of U.S. troops are helping, too.

See Letters to Boomer on page 2 for ways you, friends and families can help.