BROOKS' BUNCH GOES TO AFRICA

Perhaps the most publicized of all of the Brooks' trips was the memorable excursion to Africa in 2000. Brooks, accompanied by a group of more than 30 kids and chaperons including former Buccaneers and current Indianapolis Colts Head Coach Tony Dungy and his wife Lauren, departed Tampa International Airport for a 12-day trek through Africa. The trip included a safari, stops to the townships of Soweto, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Swaziland, a trip to visit a school in Johannesburg, and a tour of the United States Embassy in South Africa. But perhaps the most impacting part of the trip for the kids and for Brooks himself was the precious time the group spent visiting Robben Island Prison, which housed former African National Congress President Nelson Mandela for 29 years. The group toured the prison, viewed cellblocks, and gained very insightful and detailed information about the prison from the tour guide, who was an inmate at the prison during a portion of Mandela's sentence.

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