Kevin Stefanski remembers the first time he stepped onto an NFL field in Philadelphia at the former Veterans Stadium. He played grade school football on the turf as a young kid and reflected on how memorable that experience was to play on the field where NFL players competed.
It's that perspective that has shaped The Keepers Foundation "Under the Lights Camp" at Huntington Bank Field.
"It is something special," Stefanski said. "Why this is under the lights? We know how special that is, whether you're playing Friday night in high school football, college football and certainly in the pros, when you're under those lights, it means something. I think it will mean something to these kids."
The Keepers Foundation, first launched by Stefanski and the Stefanski family in 2024, and the Browns held the second annual "Under the Lights Camp" that consisted of a flag football clinic and tournament coached by local youth and high school coaches at Huntington Bank Field.
As young athletes ranging from fifth-eighth grade took the field, they passed by Stefanski who stood on the field to greet them. He gave them high-fives and embraced the kids as they split up into groups to participate in drills.
Some stations focused on their agility and footwork. Others worked on catching, flag pulling and throwing the football. As Stefanski walked around to each station, he interacted with the athletes, catching the football from the kids or throwing them a pass, and watched them compete during the tournament portion of the camp.
Browns players DT Ralph Holley, WR Kaden Davis, DE Cameron Thomas and CB Tony Brown II also joined in on the stations, interacting with the young athletes and encouraging them throughout the drills.
"This is so fun for my family to get down here and watch these kids compete on the field where their heroes compete," Stefanski said. "I can take myself back to being their age, I know that feeling. I know how much they love their team, and I know how much they want to be around players. So, when they see me, I think they see their team that they love, and I want to be here to obviously encourage them and support them in any way. It may be special for them, but it's pretty special for me."
The Stefanski family first started The Keepers Foundation to continue to give back to the Northeast Ohio community and serve underprivileged and disadvantaged kids. As a core belief of the Browns' organization to give back to the local community, Stefanski wanted to build off the franchise's presence in the community and use their platform as a family to help others.
Stefanski has been the head coach of the Browns since 2020, and over the past five years has established roots in Northeast Ohio for him and his family. As the city of Cleveland has embraced him and his family, he knew the importance of finding ways to give back to the Cleveland community.
"It's year two for us with The Keepers Foundation, and it's something that's really important to Michelle and me," Stefanski said. "It's important to our kids. It's important that our kids understand that we're in a unique position where we can give back. We have a platform in this city, and we have the ability to help kids that need our help. And that's really important for our kids to know, and I think it's just important for us to give back to a city that has given us so much."
In its first year in 2024, The Keepers Foundation held two events in June – beginning with the flag football tournament, and a fundraiser event called "Night Out by the Lake with Coach Stefanski & Friends."
In its second year, Stefanski said they are working to grow the Keepers Foundation and the impact they can have in the city of Cleveland.
"The big thing for us is maximizing an impact," Stefanski said. "We identified very early on the group that we wanted to help, and that was disadvantaged youth in our community. We've been able to meet some amazing people through this process. And we're growing. We're trying to also, every single year, learn something new in different areas that we can give back. And at the core of this, as you see the kids competing behind this, we want to make sure that we're lifting up the spirits of some kids throughout our community. And I think tonight goes a long way in doing that."
For more information on The Keepers Foundation please visit: https://www.thekeepersfoundation.org/. To get tickets to "Night Out by the Lake," visit www.Keepers.givesmart.com.
