Cleveland Browns OL Joe Thomas hosts ’Shop with a Pro’ event
Cleveland Browns players are a tough bunch. A perfect example is OL Joe Thomas who underwent major surgery in late October for a torn left triceps tendon that he suffered during the week 7 loss to the Tennessee Titans. In spite of an injury that sees normally a 6 to 9 month recovery period nothing was going to keep Joe from hosting his annual “Shop with a Pro” event at DICK’S Sporting Goods located at Great Northern Mall in North Olmsted, Ohio.
This past Tuesday, Thomas, along with fellow members of the Cleveland Browns and Cleveland Browns Mascot Chomps took 30 children from the City of Cleveland Recreation Centers on a $200 shopping spree as well as each child getting a free pair of shoes. Before the shopping spree began Papa John’s Pizza hosted a pizza party for the participants.
“Shop with a Pro” was made possible through the generosity of Thomas and the DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation and is part of the Cleveland Browns #give10 program that is part of the First and Ten Initiative that encourages fans to volunteer within their communities.
All Cleveland Browns fans worldwide are encouraged to the website and click on “Community” in order to pledge ten hours of volunteer time within one year. Having completed their pledge they are invited to return to the site and share their experiences with others. For more information check out: ClevelandBrowns.com/brownsgiveback.
The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation is a tax exempt 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation with a mission to inspire and enable sports participation. It was created by DICK’S Sporting Goods, Inc. as a private corporate foundation to support DICK’S charitable and philanthropic activities.
This act of kindness comes on the heels of the Cleveland Browns First and Ten 10 Days of Giving Initiative that was held between December 5 and 14, 2017 when Cleveland Browns players, coaches and staff coordinated several unique events that made special contributions to various organizations as part of the team’s commitment to education and youth football.
What follows is a listing of the various events.
Day 1 (Dec. 5): Browns emphasize “Special Teams Package” program, education at CMSD’s George Washington Carver School (media advisory attached); Deck the House at FirstEnergy Stadium, benefitting Providence House
Day 2 (Dec. 6): Browns players and coaches “Adopt a Family” initiative, supporting families through The Littlest Heroes and The Centers for Families and Children
Day 3 (Dec. 7): Browns surprise local youth flag football team at Berea facility with trip to the 2018 Pro Bowl in Orlando
Day 4 (Dec. 8): Browns staff volunteer at UH Rainbow Babies & Chilren’s Hospital Rainbow Radiothon; Dee Haslam pledges $20,000 matching donation opportunity
Day 5 (Dec. 9): Browns scouting department bowling event with kids from Youth Challenge
Day 6 (Dec. 10): Browns Give Back First and Ten Toy Drive, presented by Electronic Merchant Systems (press release attached)
Day 7 (Dec. 11): Bay High School Head Football Coach Ron Rutt surprised with $25,000 grant for new helmets (press release attached)
Day 8 (Dec. 12): Hawkins Christmas Takeover x4 (media advisory attached)
Day 9 (Dec. 13): Marion Motley Scholarship recipients announced
Day 10 (Dec. 14): Ice Skating event with Camp International School students at Cleveland Foundation Ice Rink at Public Square