In December, we joined forces with Cleveland Browns Guard Joel Bitonio and his family to host “Home Team Holiday Cheer,” a program to make sure children from all 22 City of Cleveland Neighborhood Resource & Recreation Centers had a holiday experience to remember.
Two children were chosen from each neighborhood rec center to receive a $125 Meijer gift card to use on a special holiday shopping trip to our Avon store, as well as a Browns-themed gift bag. For many of the children, the most exciting part was receiving a recorded message from Joel himself.
“We greatly appreciate everything that the City of Cleveland Recreation Centers do for the kids in our hometown, and we hope that all of them can enjoy these gifts this holiday season and throughout the year,” he said. “While Courtney and I will definitely miss shopping with the kids, it was important to us to still find a way to bring a smile to their faces and create great memories for them this year. We also thank Meijer for their generosity in helping us make this a special holiday for as many of Cleveland’s kids as possible.”
In addition to the special holiday surprises for some children at each of the city’s resource and recreation centers, the program also donated a gaming system with a sports-themed game and multiple controllers to five of the centers to be enjoyed beyond the holiday season.
“We hope these gifts will brighten the holiday seasons of local children and bring them a little extra fun as they play together year-round,” said Cathy Cooper, Senior Director of Community Partnerships and Giving for Meijer, the Browns’ Official Grocery Supercenter.