NFL linebacker Ray Lewis is helping a 10-year-old New York boy whose mother drowned herself and three children by driving a van into the Hudson River.

The surviving child, La'Shaun Armstrong, appeared at a Manhattan fundraiser of the Lewis-backed United Athletes Foundation on Saturday night. Some of the proceeds will go to the boy, including scholarship money.

The Baltimore Ravens star says he reached out to the child as soon as he heard about the April 12 tragedy. The boy escaped through a van window. La'Shaun's mother reportedly was distraught over an argument with her boyfriend.

La'Shaun told the Daily News that meeting the 35-year-old linebacker was "awesome."

Lewis says the boy needs mentoring from a father figure. His biological father, Todd Johnson, is in prison on a robbery conviction.