The Cleveland Browns are committed to the community. Through First and Ten, the Dawg Pound is encouraged to share what they are doing to give back. Get inspired and check out what these fans are doing to help their community:
How do you give back?
#give10
Name: Charles Shelton
Hometown: Newton Falls, OH
How they give back: Charles coaches for the Newton Falls Little Tigers Football Program and has been coaching for three years. He works with the 8 and 9 year olds and has a son on the team. He loves being able to bond with his son while also getting the chance to help other kids improve. His favorite part about being a coach is being able to help his team become West Division Champions.
Name: RJ Elliot
Hometown: East Cleveland, OH
How they give back: RJ has played football all throughout his life, and in partnership with a close friend from his days playing youth football, they were able to create their own team this year called the Elite Buckeyes. It was a few years in the making, but they finally got it off the ground this past May. RJ works specifically with 9-11 year olds, and is very family based. His son plays, along with a few other coaches' sons and nephews, which creates a very familial atmosphere. RJ loves the opportunity to be able to give back in the sense that he can share his football knowledge, help keep kids out of the streets, and create a positive atmosphere.
Name: David Blaine
Hometown: Lorain, OH
How they give back: David is a coach with the Lorain Steelemen Youth Football Mentorship Program and has been coaching for five years. He coaches 6 year olds in contact football and one year the team placed 5th in the nation. Most kids on the team are from impoverished areas and single-family homes, so David appreciates the opportunity to be a positive male role model and impact the lives of young men. The organization's motto is "It's more than just football." David is grateful for the opportunity to not only mentor the kids, but to also learn and grow himself as well.
Name: Tony Williams
Hometown: Cleveland, OH
How they give back: Tony has been volunteering with the Umoja Jaguars for the past eight years. For seven of those years, he coached 9-11 year olds. Recently, he was brought up to coach 12-14 year olds. He really likes working with the older kids as he feels his experience in life and the guidance he can offer is more relatable for this age group. Tony loves seeing the 'light come on' after teaching a skill or fundamental to the kids. When the kids begin to understand their purpose on the field, it's a very rewarding experience for Tony.
Name: Jared Clonch
Hometown: Newton Falls, OH
How they give back: Jared is a coach for the Newton Falls Little Tigers. He's been coaching for about six years now and loves every day of coaching 10 and 12 year olds. His son is on the team which allows him to bond with his son further while also helping all the kids improve their skills. Jared was very excited to get the chance to bring his team to training camp.
Interested in signing up your volunteer group for First and Ten? Group forms available! **Click here**_ to learn more about how to #give10_
Follow @BrownsGiveBack on Twitter and Instagram and tell us what you are doing to help others using #give10 to unite us all as Browns fans. Give 10 hours, help your community.
The Browns are dedicated to #give10 through the team's First and Ten initiative. Launched in June 2014, the Cleveland Browns First and Ten campaign is the team's community program, established to inspire fans to volunteer in and help their communities throughout the world by volunteering for 10 hours each year. Since its inception, Browns fans have committed to volunteering more than 1.5 million hours to impact their communities by pledging to #give10. 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. All Browns fans are encouraged to join the volunteering effort by signing the First and Ten pledge on the team's website and by sharing their stories with #give10
