Browns employees gathered Thursday at the East Community Learning Center in Akron for a day of volunteer work for the organization's fifth annual "Summer Blitz" event.
The event brings all three core areas of "Browns Give Back" together — a commitment to education via the "Stay In The Game, Keep Learning Everyday! Network", youth football and social justice — and encourages staff members to #Give10 and help their communities by volunteering for 10 hours each year. Through First and Ten, the Browns are the only NFL club to promote a long-term volunteering program that unifies the team and its entire fan base, with the goal of impacting every individual's city across the globe, as well as the franchise's local community.
Here are some of the numbers that highlight the work volunteers achieved:
50 - Browns employees who gave their time and support to a community by preparing the current Community Learning Center to welcome students, families, and community members back in the fall.
10 - Volunteers assembled and painted 10 picnic tables.
400 - new seating options which the school will be able to use to enhance its outdoor space.
5 - Outdoor games and benches volunteers assembled to provide a usable space for student participation in outdoor activities. The school will use the area to incentivize students regarding behavior, attendance, and academic performance.
15 - Yards of space weeded and mulched by volunteers inside the courtyard, which will serve as an additional outdoor space for teachers and students. The current space is used as both a reward for classrooms and outdoor social space during lunchtime weather permitting. The space is in the heart of the building surrounded by the high school auxiliary gym and cafeteria.
15-20 - Students who will daily be able to use a fresh painted room for in-school suspension, which will also be enhanced by the NFL's Digital Divide Grant that will provide students with the electronic devices necessary to continue learning outside of their direct classroom. The project aims to transform the previous idea of in-school suspension into an alternative learning environment.
1 - Room painted and renovated as a lounge space students will be able to access as a reward for good behavior, attendance goals, and other school-promoted initiatives. The room creation, in partnership with Arby's Foundation, looks to act as the pilot project for future school programs through the "Stay in The Game! Network," and will be called the "Stay in the Game Room."
150 - Items packaged in home and laundry supply kits to help students tackle basic need inadequacies presented in their community. The district highlighted how the pandemic has created new challenges for its students and their families. The drive aimed to fulfill personal necessity needs and to help create a more positive student body and community environment.
60 - Teacher kits assembled to help encourage and show appreciation to the high school staff entering the 2022 school year. The kits included Browns items and a personalized hand-written letter.
300 - Student kits assembled, which will be distributed to students upon arrival back to school in the fall. The kits included a personalized note, "Stay in the Game" poster, and other Browns items.
250 - Separate student notes written for students that will be distributed at the start of the school year inside of the newly created "Stay in the Game Room."
All Browns fans are encouraged to join and learn more about the First and Ten movement found on the team's website as well as to share their stories with #give10.
