Green Bay Packers all-time leading receiver, “Dancing with the Stars” champion and New York Times best-selling author Donald Driver will deliver the keynote address at Hopelink’s 19th annual Reaching Out Benefit Luncheon on Monday, Oct. 20 at Bellevue’s Meydenbauer Center.

The luncheon is the social services agency’s largest fundraising event of the year. Last year’s luncheon raised more than $1 million to provide food, shelter, family development, transportation and job readiness skills for homeless and low-income families, children, seniors and people with disabilities in north and east King County.

During the luncheon, Driver will share his story, “from homeless to hero,” about his journey from poverty and homelessness to success and acclaim.

“I’ve been homeless. I know what that’s like – how it affects your entire life, and how hard it can be to get back on your feet,” Driver said.

“Hopelink is there for families who are experiencing difficult times – just like the times I went through with my family, who just need a little help to get by and to get back on track. They are truly making a difference in people’s lives.”

Driver is a 2011 Super Bowl champion and the Packers franchise record holder for most receptions and receiving yards. He retired from the NFL as a football hero in 2012. That same year, Driver took home the coveted mirror ball trophy from the ABC series “Dancing with the Stars.”

A bestselling author who has written numerous books for children, it was Driver’s childhood struggle with homelessness that fueled his work as a humanitarian. The future Pro Bowler grew up in Houston’s dangerous Fifth Ward neighborhood, where his family – led by a single mother of five – continually struggled to make ends meet. As he entered his teens, Driver’s family life began to crumble, eventually deteriorating to the point where they were forced to live in a U-Haul truck underneath an overpass. He and his family would spend nearly a month living out of the truck; an experience Driver says forever changed his life.

In 2001, Driver and his wife, Betina, founded the Donald Driver Foundation where he is able to share his story while championing support for people in need of shelter, education and career development. Driver’s memoir, “Driven,” was an immediate success, landing on the New York Times bestsellers list just days after its release.

The Hopelink luncheon will take place from noon to 1:15 p.m. at Meydenbauer Center, 11100 N.E. Sixth St. . There is no charge to attend the luncheon, but during the program guests will be asked to make a donation in support of Hopelink’s services. For more information or to register: http://www.hope-link.org/events/reaching_out_luncheon/