( CNN ) -- You might remember the ad campaign `` Bo knows baseball . Bo knows football . '' But these days sports legend Bo Jackson knows charity . Jackson has dedicated his post-pro-sports days to raising money to help restore the areas of his native Alabama devastated by a tornado in April 2011 . He is also raising awareness on how to protect yourself and others from deadly storms . Jackson recalls that day : `` I was in Illinois , where I live , and I ca n't remember what I was doing but I got phone calls from relatives and friends saying there 's a bad storm -- a big tornado . '' Big indeed . A mile-wide tornado demolished much of Tuscaloosa , Alabama , and the surrounding areas on April 27 , 2011 . This killer tornado was a part of a bigger storm system that left more than 300 people dead in the Southeast . Jackson remembers a conversation he had with his sister in the aftermath . `` She said the storm was bad but everybody in our little town was OK . But other towns like Tuscaloosa , Cordova , Coleman , Jasper -- they got hit pretty hard , '' Jackson says . Rocked by the news , Jackson , a native of Bessemer , Alabama , who starred in football and baseball at Auburn University , knew he could n't just sit idly by as the community that supported him in his climb to success was now in ruins . `` I sat up and thought about what I can do to give back to my community , my state . And I came up with this harebrained idea to ride a bicycle across the state , '' Jackson says . His idea became reality with the creation of Bo Bikes Bama . Jackson and his friends rode across the state to raise money not only to help rebuild but also to build community storm shelters . `` Bo Bikes Bama is an event where I want to make the rest of the country aware of just how severe a tornado can be . It 's a way of coming back home and doing something for the people that had faith in me when I was younger . Bo Bikes Bama is all about caring about your brothers and sisters , '' Jackson says . The first Bo Bikes Bama took place in 2012 and Jackson has vowed to make it an annual event because he feels the need will always be there . The storms will keep coming and the mission for him is not just to rebuild after loss , but to better prepare for the next storm . `` I decided to make it an annual event , as long as I can ride to raise money for tornado victims . '' He also is aware that in addition to the money raised , the event is a morale booster for the survivors in these small towns . `` People will be struggling to rebuild for a long time . And just to see these people come out and stand beside the street and wave and smile after everything that they 've been through -- lost family members , lost their homes , their jobs -- and they still come out ( and ) thank you for what you 're doing . ... It 's a period where everybody has decided to come together and work as one for one great cause , '' Jackson says . In addition to the bike ride , Jackson and his group go into small Alabama towns seeking to persuade landowners to donate land where community storm shelters can be built . `` When you do n't have a place to get out of the way of a tornado , a lot of people get injured , lose their lives . Hiding in a closet or getting in a bathtub does n't work when the whole house is getting picked up off the foundation and getting thrown down the street , '' Jackson says . And while the bike ride is Jackson 's major annual fundraiser , he stresses that the need continues year round and his group collects donations year round to continue their efforts . `` I would rather do something to prevent the loss of life now than wait until something else bad happens , '' Jackson says . He also sees that severe weather like this affects many more Americans beyond Alabama and he recognizes the need to expand his reach . `` I have already been contacted by friends of mine to come and do the same thing in Mississippi . I 've been contacted by friends of mine in Missouri ( Jackson played baseball for the Kansas City Royals ) that would love for me to come back there and do something there , and I want to . I will . But I got ta take care of home first . ''
Bo Jackson was very disturbed about tornadoes that hit Alabama , his home state . The famed athlete started an annual bike ride across the state to raise money for victims . Bo Bikes Bama funds will also go toward community shelters .