Head coach Kevin Stefanski and the Stefanski family continue to give back to the Northeast Ohio community, as they announced the launch of a new foundation focused on serving underprivileged kids in Northeast Ohio.
With collaboration from his wife, Michelle, and their three children, they decided on the name of the foundation: The Keepers Foundation. As they discussed potential names as a family, the term "keepers" stuck with them.
"Everybody knows that Bible verse about being your brother's keeper and, really, what does that mean? It means looking out for somebody else," Stefanski said. "And that's ultimately what we're trying to do with this foundation is look out for the people that need us to look out for them the most. And that's the kids in our communities that are underprivileged, and that's ultimately what we're trying to do."
Giving back to the local community is a core belief for the Browns as an organization. Over his four years as head coach of the Browns, Stefanski has witnessed how managing and principal partners Dee and Jimmy Haslam, as well as the organization, have given back to Northeast Ohio over the years. It inspired Stefanski to want to build off the Browns' presence in the community and use their platform as a family to also help others in the local community.
"This is really our family's opportunity to do something special," Stefanski said. "My wife and I have been just floored by this community and have been floored by the support of Northeast Ohio when it comes to any of the numerous charities that are giving back and helping out. Our kids are younger and we're trying to make sure that they understand that we've been blessed and with that, we feel an obligation to help out with some kids that should get similar opportunities, whether it's through education, or something after school."
With the foundation officially launched, they will be holding a dual event this summer. The first event, Under the Lights with Coach Stefanski & Friends will be a flag football tournament held on June 6 at Cleveland Browns Stadium.
Stefanski said there is an understanding of the importance of keeping kids active and involved, and they see flag football as a sector of the game that can create that environment. Flag football is a steppingstone to the game that kids are watching the professionals play on Sundays, and Stefanski said it provides a unique opportunity for them to have a personal connection.
"Being under the lights is something special," Stefanski said. "I would tell you, our players love to be under the lights. So, I can only imagine that the young boys and girls that are able to be a part of this will love being under the lights down there at the stadium, playing on the same field that they see Myles Garrett and Deshaun Watson and Nick Chubb playing on. So, flag football, I think is such an important part of our game. And again, just to see it played and see young kids compete really is a big part of the goal of our foundation is giving kids an avenue to experience things like that under the lights."
The second event, Night Out by the Lake with Coach Stefanski & Friends will be a fundraiser held on June 13 as an evening out in Cleveland with an auction to raise money for the foundation.
Tickets for both events can be found here: The Keepers Foundation | Powered By GiveSmart
As the Stefanski family builds their foundation, they aim to use their platform to have a positive impact in the community.
"We just felt like there's an opportunity here to have some events, get some people together, raise some money and ultimately use our platform to help some of the kids in our communities that really need it," Stefanski said.
For more information on The Keepers Foundation please visit: https://www.thekeepersfoundation.org/
