As Browns RB Nick Chubb took the stage at Providence House's 25th Annual Deck the House event at Huntington Bank Field, he shared his year-long journey of recovering from the season-ending knee injury he sustained in 2023.
Chubb was officially nominated by his teammates for the Ed Block Courage Award, which is given annually to a member of each of the 32 NFL teams who best exemplifies the qualities of Ed Block – the former head athletic trainer of the Baltimore Colts – based on courage, compassion, commitment and community.
Chubb accepted the award at the Deck the House event, with assistant athletic trainer Pat Rock – who helped Chubb throughout his recovery process – standing next to him on stage.
"I want to thank Joe Sheehan and Pat Rock from our training staff, strength and conditioning coach Dale Jones, Dr. Voos at University Hospitals and my teammates for doing a great job being there for me and pushing me throughout the process of my recovery," Chubb said. "It was an uphill battle every day because when you get hurt – it's one thing – but when you get hurt again, you already know what you must go through with the entire process of surgery and rehab. And I am extremely grateful to get to this point and be back on the field with my teammates doing what I've loved to do since I was a kid."
Providence House hosted their 25th Deck the House event on Dec. 10, 2024, which is an annual fundraiser to help protect at-risk children and support families through crisis, as well as strengthen communities to end child abuse and neglect.
Each NFL team participating in the Ed Block Courage Award Foundation program selects a "Courage House" that supports victims of abuse, violence and neglect. Each of those 27 partnered facilities are provided with monetary and in-kind donations along with various needed services to help advance their mission from the Ed Block Courage Award Foundation. They also provide unique opportunities through the partnership with their NFL team including events, fundraising, donations and more.
The Browns' Courage House is Providence House, a family preservation crisis nursery committed to child abuse prevention and family preservation in the Cleveland area. In 1999, Providence House and the Browns became the 11th team member to join the Courage House National Support Network for embracing and supporting children in the local community faced with abuse, neglect and risk due to family crisis.
"One of the unique things with Deck the House is the Ed Block Courage Award that's announced at that point in time," Haslam Sports Group Chief Financial Officer Gregory Rush said. "And Providence House being the crisis nursery that's been supported by the Ed Block Courage Award, and that tie to the Browns is really cool. But I also think it's a tremendous location and venue to have during that time of year decorated with the holiday themes down there. Nick accepted the award this year. And then Pat Rock was there and gave a heartwarming speech, probably the best speech that Pat's ever given, about his relationship with Nick and fighting back from injury. So, to share that with Providence House and the ties we've had over the years has been wonderful."
Over the past five years, the Ed Block Courage Award Foundation has donated over $200,000 and more than $20,000 in memorabilia for fundraising to community partners across the nation. At Providence House's "Deck the House" event, the Ed Block Courage Award Foundation also donated $2,500 to Providence House to support their efforts of keeping children safe and families together across Northeast Ohio.
"The Ed Block Courage Award Foundation is indebted to the NFL for their continued partnership in supporting abused, neglected and at-risk youth across the National Courage House Network," Executive Director of the Ed Block Courage Award Foundation Brett Dickinson said. "The league's dedication has been invaluable to the success of our mission and vital in our existence for 47 years. The Cleveland Browns have been a shining example of the Courage House model, with the team and Foundation working together to support Providence House. Their commitment to the program's growth, including the annual 'Deck the House' fundraiser, player visits, in-kind donations and much more is a true testament of their compassion for those in need."
Providence House is Ohio's first and one of the nation's longest-operating crisis nurseries among the 70-plus operations in the U.S. and Canada. They offer free, voluntary, non-custodial emergency shelter to children newborn through 12 years old who are actively living in crisis situations and support services to their families to help them stay together.
Providence House has cared for and advocated for more than 16,000 children and families in crisis since opening their doors in 1981. To provide the support needed by families, they deliver a holistic, integrated program focused on family preservation. Their Crisis Nursery Program is a comprehensive service based on the latest research in the industry and evidence-based programs and practices that can help prevent child abuse and neglect and reduce foster care placements.
The Providence House Crisis Nurseries are safe, licensed, homelike environments that give parents and guardians peace of mind, knowing their children remain in their custody and receive loving care despite their temporary separation while they get the services and treatment they need.
While their children stay at Providence House, parents and guardians engage with the social work team to address the challenges they're facing through Family Preservation Services including individualized counseling, parenting education, trauma services, case management and connections to more than 100 community partner agencies to provide support and build a strong foundation for their family's future.
Following their stay with Providence House, the children go home to stronger, more stable families. Over the last 15 consecutive years, an average of 99 percent of families who brought a child to stay in the Crisis Nursery are reunited after engaging with their services.
"For 43 years, Providence House has been the neighbor, friend and partner that embraces families with the support and resources they need at a critical time in their lives and their child's safety," President & CEO Natalie A. Leek said. "We walk with them through their crises, knowing their most precious treasures, their children, are safe and cared for and remain in their custody, so they can focus on building the pathway to thrive."
In 2024, Providence House served 876 children and families across all of its programs, which includes a Community Referral Program providing essential items such as diapers, wipes, children's clothing, and hygiene items to help families make ends meet, based on a referral from a community partner.
Providence House has also expanded to two campuses to help reach the needs of the community. Its West Campus in Ohio City is called Leo's House – a family perseveration crisis nursey – provides emergency shelter and safe, loving care for up to 20 children at a time, aged newborn through twelve, in a home-like facility that includes play spaces, a dining area, sibling bedrooms and a family room. It's licensed by the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services to operate 24/7.
They are working to open a new facility on the East Side of Cleveland called Hope's House in the Buckeye-Shaker Neighborhood. The goal of Hope's House is to help serve 250 more children and over 400 families each year. Rush – who has served on the board at Providence House since 2012 – said there's a high percentage of need that comes from the East side, yet there isn't an easy way for them to reach the West Side location.
In 2024, Providence House had a waitlist of 691 children due to the lack of space at its West Campus in Ohio City. It has continued to fuel their efforts to expand to the East Side of Cleveland, where about 70 percent of those children on the waitlist were from East Side communities – as accessibility is a significant barrier for the families it serves.
"We're going to where we see the need," Rush said. "When we get that open over there, that will be very meaningful to me personally, knowing that I kind of led that through that part of it. And when we get that open, we can serve about 250 more kids on the East Side, specifically, and then have an East Side and a West Side location."
The Browns are contributing to the expansion on the East Side. The space was in need of a new playground area, and after a site visit, the Browns committed a monetary amount to help fund the creation of the space.
Over the years, the Browns' involvement with Providence House has continued to grow. From hosting the Deck the House fundraiser at Huntington Bank Field – which raised about $280,000 in 2024 – and organizing player and staff volunteer opportunities, to helping provide a playground for Hope's House and the involvement of Rush as a board member, the Browns have been uniquely tied to the work Providence House does to serve those in need in the Cleveland community.
"At Providence House, we know it truly does take a village to raise a child – or in the case of our partnership with the Cleveland Browns – an entire team," Leek said. "From players to the front office, the Browns have been an invaluable partner on our team for 25 years, helping us provide life-changing support to children and families in crisis so they can achieve the bright future they deserve."
