G Joel Bitonio has been an active member in the Cleveland community during his 12-year career with the Browns. A few years ago, one of his friends recognized his impact and reached out with an idea.
His friend told Bitonio about an organization he thought Bitonio would be a fit for and connected him with the director of A Kid Again Northern Ohio.
Since the introduction, Bitonio has volunteered with the organization and has had cleats designed for My Cause My Cleats promoting A Kid Again for the past three years. He will do so again this season while also designing cleats championing the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) for the first time. Both organizations are focused on helping children.
"We have kids of our own and we want these kids to have the best chances in this world, and sometimes it's not fair," Bitonio said. "With both organizations, they're helping families and kids that we want to be a part of them, so I wanted to do a pair of cleats for (NCJFCJ) as well."
During Weeks 12 and 13, Bitonio and players across the league can highlight causes meaningful to them by wearing custom-designed cleats as part of the NFL's My Cause My Cleats initiative. Launched in 2016, the program gives players a platform to showcase the organizations and movements they care about. The Browns will wear their cleats in Week 13 against the 49ers at Huntington Bank Field.
A Kid Again offers cost-free adventures for more than 800 families of children with life-threatening conditions. These adventures help children regain the joys of childhood while also giving families fun, stress-free moments together throughout the year. Bitonio has been involved with A Kid Again for multiple years, hosting families at training camp and raffling off his cleats for the organization.
NCJFCJ works with juvenile and family courts to make the legal process safer, fairer and more supportive for kids who move through the system. NCJFCJ is working to accomplish their goal by providing training, research and resources to all judges, courts and agencies involved with the cases. Bitonio first learned about NCJFCJ from an acquaintance in Reno, Nev., where Bitonio went to college at the University of Nevada and the organization is based.
On March 19, 2024, Bitonio and his wife, Courtney, received the Judith Horgan Award for Exemplary Service on Behalf of Children and Families in the Court System from NCJFCJ. The award recognizes individuals in the host city of the group's Annual Conference on Juvenile Justice. The 2024 conference was held in Cleveland, where the Bitonios were recognized for supporting a shared vision of improving outcomes for children and families.
Just over a year later on April 8, 2025, they were named to the NCJFCJ Board of Directors. As board members, they will continue to advocate for children and families and help launch new initiatives and programs that further NCJFCJ's vision.
"We did some PSAs for them this offseason, and it's an organization that I think we're going to continue to work with," Bitonio said. "We're on the board and we're trying to help in any way we can."
Bitonio has used My Cause My Cleats as an opportunity to use his platform to select causes that have meaningful connections in his life. He has previously created cleats supporting the American Heart Association in 2019 and 2021 in honor of his father, who passed away from a heart attack while Bitonio was in college.
"Early in my career I wasn't really sure -- I was just like, 'Oh, I'm just here to play football,'" Bitonio said. "Then the longer you play, the more impact you realize you can make as a player in these charities. These people that you work with come up, and you're just like, 'I want to help everybody that I can.'"
For more information on the Browns' My Cause My Cleats efforts for the 2025 season, visit www.clevelandbrowns.com/community/mycausemycleats.
