John Tait’s interest in art started when he was just a kid growing up in Tempe, Ariz.—sketching and drawing and that sort of thing. His parents encouraged him in pursuing his interest to the point they enrolled him in special art classes when he was 10, where he could learn to paint with oils. But he wasn’t the only one they encouraged; they wanted to see all seven of their kids become well-rounded individuals. "My parents stressed finding what you’re talented at," Tait says, "and doing it well."

Then sports became a big part of his life, especially in high school. Then there was football at Brigham Young University, before and after two years of mission service in the Mormon Church. Then, in 1999, there was a chance to play ball with the Kansas City Chiefs. Still, for the 6-foot-6-inch, 320-pound tackle, the creative urge was never far below the surface.

So a year ago, he combined his sense of community obligation, his love for art and his love for kids to start the John Tait Foundation. Through the foundation, he supports children’s programs at the Children’s Museum and the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, and he helps raise money for Camp Quality of Northwest Missouri and for First Downs for Down Syndrome. Last November, his foundation sponsored a fund raiser at the Kemper for Accessible Arts, an organization that champions the arts for children with special needs. Tait persuaded four fellow Chiefs to paint original canvases that were then put up for auction.

"The arts get excluded sometimes," he believes, especially when budgets get cut and programs get trimmed. But he has seen the benefits that accrue to youngsters through the arts, even those who are vision-impaired. "It’s an important part of life for kids to express themselves creatively," Tait says. "I just want to be able to help them out."