On Thursday, Sept. 28, former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch visited Waynesburg University to give a speech as part of the Rosetta Kormuth DeVito Lecture Series. 

Batch shared his three rules for success: “Be Ready, Be Resilient, and Be the Pro.” Each point was accompanied by a relevant story from his own experiences, such as when he had to be strong and resilient when his sister died.

He also told the audience about the Best of the Batch Foundation. It is his organization that has a mission statement of, “Unlocking  potential in communities to build the best future for kids and families by providing choices, motivation, and education” according to its website. 

“I always wanted to say that if I was in the position to give back, I would,” Batch said. “Here we are over 23 years later being able to make an impact in the community.”

He shared how his dream of helping children developed over the years. What started as a small program being run out of a house in Homestead has blossomed into a full organization with large headquarters. Batch even gave the audience a virtual tour of the building.

“One thing that we wanted to make sure of is that when they walked in that building, it didn’t remind them of school,” he said. 

Additionally, he made sure to emphasize in his presentation that the Best of the Batch Foundation is a place for children to learn. The foundation’s website says, “The children learn while they are having fun!”

When discussing how to ‘Be the Pro,’ Batch touched on how important it was to surround himself with hardworking individuals, something that keeps his foundation running today.

“We have a lot of people who help support everything we are doing,” he said. “You can volunteer your time with many organizations, but when people come over and want to spend their time with you and volunteer, that makes it all well worth it.”

After the lecture was over, Batch was met with applause that echoed throughout the Goodwin Performing Arts Center. He spent the rest of his time taking photos with the football team and anyone else that wanted to meet him.