WASHINGTON, D.C. --- As the holiday season carries on, a former Howard student-athlete that spent his athletic career receiving is making a mark as a giver.
Stewart Hartman - endearingly known as "Redd" to those close to him - spent four seasons (2011-14) on the Bison football team, primarily as a wide receiver. However, the most impactful route Hartman may have ever run was the one that led him to create the Redd's World Foundation as a freshman in 2012.
The foundation - which the December 2015 graduate (Sports Management major / Administration of Justice minor) hopes to officially incorporate in the future - was created out of an innate passion to give back to others. While learning the Howard mantra of "Truth & Service" upon arrival may have spurred the entity's creation, the New Orleans-area native could also trace the beginnings of his service experience to his four-year term as Class President of West Jefferson High School in Louisiana.
No matter the origin story, Hartman has written the narrative of his venture with acts of love and kindness.
In the fall of 2012 while home in New Orleans for winter break, Hartman organized his first outreach event to help feed and clothe the homeless in the area.
"The organization was created to simply help out in the community," Hartman said of this first event and the foundation as a whole. "Then my focus and [the foundation's] mission became to help make a better life for the homeless, to show them that people do see and care about them."
Hartman had started something with great potential but like most new ventures, he faced some early adversity. His admirable yet naive focus on making Redd's World successful by himself stretched him too thin. He couldn't be truly effective without help.
"When I started, I tried to do everything myself. I used my own clothes, I paid for all the bagged lunches and I even tried to move all the stuff by myself," reflected Hartman.
As the saying goes, 'you can't pour from an empty cup.'
The more he thought after that first go-around, the more his football instincts - of working collectively to achieve more - kicked in. "As I got deeper into what I wanted to do, I saw that I needed a 'team' like the one I had at Howard for football. Now my family and friends are involved in Redd's World and everything has been going great. Each year has gotten better."
That improvement can be seen in the fact that Hartman had held his event during the holiday season for four consecutive years back in New Orleans, including this Christmas Eve. Another way to measure the foundation's success: the creation of Hartman's first DC outreach earlier this month.
For Hartman, the Washington event was a natural synergy of his two passions: helping others and paying back the positive experience he had at Howard.
"I wanted to show my appreciation to the community surrounding Howard University for taking care of me for four and a half years. Bringing the outreach here to DC was my way of doing that."
The addition of friends and family into 'Redd's World' - pun intended - extended to fellow Howard student-athletes at the Washington event. Assata Conway (women's volleyball), Donny-Joshua Felix (men's soccer) and fellow Louisiana native Aquanius Freeman (football) were just a few of the Bison that lended a hand, along with others that have supported Hartman's vision over the last four-plus years.
Hartman dreams of extending the imprint of Redd's World beyond feeding and clothing the homeless during the holidays, transforming the outreach into a year-round shelter that can provide a holistic approach to getting the less fortunate back on their feet.
"As I go out and help these people, I also sit and listen to some of their stories. No matter how they got there, they just need help and guidance and I want to be able to help those people."
The receiver known for giving should have no problem continuing to do his part.
For more information on the Redd's World Foundation or to volunteer your services, you can reach Stewart via email at Stewart.HartmanIV@gmail.com.