Tim Tebow can’t wait to start a family.
“I want to adopt so badly,” the 29-year-old former NFL star tells PEOPLE. “I can’t wait. It’s definitely something I see in my future.”
“You know what I think would be awesome? If I could adopt a kid from every continent. I think that would be a pretty cool goal,” he says. “I want to sit around the dinner table ever night and see kids from Africa, Asia, Europe, South America, right here in the States. How cool would that be? It’s one of my favorite things to dream about.”
Tebow, who is single, says that any potential spouse would have to be on board with his dream. “Of course I want a woman who I’m attracted to,” he says. “That’s a very big part of it. But I’m looking for someone who loves Jesus and loves people. Someone who makes me want to be a better person for her. And she has to want kids, and has to want to adopt. That’s a requirement.”
For Tebow, who was born in the Philippines, a multicultural family is appealing.
“I think when you look at God’s family, it’s not about color,” he says. “Love knows no color. I want my kids to grow up with an appreciation for every single person, no matter what they look like. That’s what unity looks like to me: knowing that you can love people who aren’t the same as you are. I want to teach that message to my kids; I want them to live it.”
Until he starts a family, Tebow is concentrating on his baseball career and the charitable work of the Tim Tebow Foundation. Last month, the foundation threw its third successful Night to Shine, a worldwide prom for people with special needs.The event honored more than 75,000 people with disabilities in 375 locations around the world, including all 50 states and 11 countries.
Celebrities even got in on the act: Gary LeVox, the lead singer of country supergroup Rascal Flatts, penned a song to commemorate the night. (The video is below.)
This weekend, Tebow and his celebrity friends – including Harry Connick Jr., Hillary Scott, Chip and Joanna Gaines and Jordan Sparks – will be in Jacksonville for the 7th Annual Tim Tebow Foundation Celebrity Gala & Golf Classic to raise funds for the charity.
“Of course I want to succeed in baseball,” Tebow told PEOPLE in November, “but it doesn’t mean anything if I’m not ultimately doing something greater than myself. Our lives should be about bringing faith, hope and love to those needing a brighter day in their darkest hour of need.”
And when the time comes to adopt, Tebow will be willing to make the move. “It’s in God’s timing,” he says, “and all I can do is be ready for it to happen.”
