Click here to view the auction site.
The Cleveland Browns Foundation and Good Karma Brands' ESPN 850 WKNR will host their third annual Cleveland Browns Foundation Radiothon, which features 28 consecutive hours of Browns content from the team's facility from 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 13th through 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 14th.
Last year's Cleveland Browns Foundation Radiothon, which occurred September 15-16 and included more than 50 exclusive live interviews with Browns personnel, raised more than $135,000 thanks to the generosity of Browns fans. To open the 2015 event, Dee and Jimmy Haslam also announced a dollar-for-dollar match, resulting in $271,472 total in support of education and youth development in Northeast Ohio.
Throughout the event, designed to raise funds and awareness for the Foundation and the programs it supports to create educational and developmental opportunities for youth in Northeast Ohio, the Dawg Pound and ESPN 850 WKNR listeners will have the exclusive opportunity to bid online and over the air on unique Browns experiences and team items. Listeners can call in live to bid (440-824-3401) on premium packages when the Radiothon begins, including a chalk talk with Head Coach Hue Jackson, a trip on the Browns' charter to the team's game at Miami (Week 3) and a charter fishing trip with OL Joe Thomas.
Select silent auction items, including dinner with DB Joe Haden,* *one-of-a-kind Browns memorabilia and more, are currently open for bidding here. New items will also periodically be made available leading up to the event.
During the Radiothon, Browns personnel and ESPN 850 WKNR personalities will cover the Foundation's commitment to supporting education-based organizations and youth programs in the region, as well as their excitement for the 2016 season. Programming will be highlighted by interviews with coaches, players and team executives, including the Haslams and Head Coach Hue Jackson, as well as organizations and individuals who have been deeply impacted by the Foundation's efforts in Cleveland.
The Browns will auction eight premium items on-air available only to Radiothon listeners who call in live to bid (440-824-3401). All items will open for bidding through a dedicated phone bank when the event begins at 9 a.m. Tuesday. Live auctions for each on-air experience will close 30 minutes prior to the end of a specific daily program, which will be released prior to the two-day fundraiser.
Premium items available exclusively through live call-ins to the Cleveland Browns Foundation Radiothon (440-824-3401):
- Chalk Talk with Head Coach Hue Jackson
- Join Chief Strategy OfficerPaul DePodesta for lunch and discuss how the Browns strengthen player development and provide players the resources necessary to succeed
- Travel on the Browns' charter to the team's game at Miami in Week 3
- Browns on-field Kickoff Kid Experience (two packages available)
- Attend Super Bowl LI in Houston
- Dinner on the 50-yard line of FirstEnergy Stadium with OL Joel Bitonio
- Charter fishing trip with OL Joe Thomas
- Attend WWE Smackdown on Sept. 27 with TE Gary Barnidge
Examples of additional auction items available, accessible through online bidding:
- Attend a Cavs game with QB Robert Griffin III (date to be determined)
- Go to a Cleveland Indians game with LBs Demario Davis and Christian Kirksey(vs. Chicago White Sox, Sept. 23)
- Eat with DB Joe Haden at the Chef's Table at Greenhouse Tavern
- Join Vice President of Player PersonnelAndrew Berry for lunch to get a behind the scenes look at how the Browns player personnel department evaluates talent on the field
- Spend Pregame like an Owner at the Browns-Steelers game at FirstEnergy Stadium in Week 11
- Have the Cleveland Browns head groundskeeper Chris Powell paint the Browns logo on your lawn
*For a full list of experiences and items, visit **here*.*
The Radiothon represents one of the Foundation's most significant fundraising opportunities through the special auction featuring unique Browns and sports experiences and merchandise, with all proceeds benefiting the organization's efforts to eliminate barriers affecting students' readiness to learn and provide developmental opportunities for long-term personal success.
On Tuesday from 3-4 p.m., Browns players will also visit The Centers for Families and Children Gordon Square Early Learning Center in support of the 2,000 Days Pledge during the 2016 Radiothon. The 2,000 Days Pledge works to ensure parents and family members understand the importance of children's experiences during their first 2,000 days, spanning birth to the start of kindergarten, that have a lasting impact on later success in school and life.
New in 2016, the Cleveland Browns Foundation is also hosting an inaugural Yoga Night on Tuesday night as part of the Radiothon experience. From 7-8 p.m., registrants will practice yoga on the Browns field at the team's training facility. Tickets are $20, with all proceeds benefiting education-based organizations and youth programs in the region. For more information or to register, click here.
In 2016, the Cleveland Browns Foundation is adding a new partnership with Cuyahoga County and their expansion of the Universal Pre-Kindergarten program. Through its dedication to education and youth development, the Cleveland Browns Foundation partners with 2,000 Days, in conjunction with The Centers for Families and Children; the Ginn Academy; Walton School, in collaboration with United Way of Greater Cleveland; the Adapted Football League, in partnership with Achievement Centers for Children; the Marion Motley Scholarship, in partnership with College Now Greater Cleveland; the Get 2 School. You Can Make It! Campaign, in partnership with Cleveland Metropolitan School District; The Sparkle Effect; The Kindergarten Club, run through the Cuyahoga County Public Library and Shoes and Clothes for Kids.
The Cleveland Browns Foundation, established in 1999, modified its focus to emphasize education through a solution-based, holistic approach to ensure Northeast Ohio youth receive the tools they need as a foundation for independence and success. The pointed approach allows the Foundation to best target and impact a specific area of need in Cleveland by building collaborative partnerships, leveraging the Browns' brand, resources and assets and administering program grants.
2016 Cleveland Browns Foundation Radiothon broadcast schedule:
Tuesday, September 13
9 a.m.-1 p.m. – "The Really Big Show" with Tony Rizzo, Jerod Cherry, Matt Fontana and Casey Kulas
1-3 p.m. – "Cleveland Browns Daily" with Nathan Zegura, Matt Wilhelm, Jim Donovan, Matt Fontana and Casey Kulas
3-5 p.m. – "The Golden Boyz" with Aaron Goldhammer, Emmett Golden and Danny Cunningham
5-7 p.m. – "Bruce Hooley Show" with Bruce Hooley, Emmett Golden and Mike Dreamer
7-9 p.m. – "ESPN Cleveland Tonight" with Munch Bishop, Jason Gibbs and Mike Dreamer
Wednesday, September 14
6-9 a.m. – A bonus edition of "Cleveland Browns Daily" with Nathan Zegura, Matt Wilhelm, Jason Gibbs and Mike Dreamer
9 a.m.-1 p.m. – "The Really Big Show" with Tony Rizzo, Jerod Cherry, Matt Fontana and Casey Kulas
*The Radiothon will repurpose select interviews and segments from 9 p.m., September 13 through 6 a.m. September 14.
About the Cleveland Browns Foundation
The Cleveland Browns Foundation is dedicated to a solution-based, holistic approach to ensure Northeast Ohio youth receive the education and development they need as a foundation for independence and success. For more information, visit www.clevelandbrowns.com/foundation.
