With the holiday season in full force and Christmas weeks away, A.J. Brown gave the surprise of a lifetime to eight children of the Boys and Girls Club of New Jersey.
The A.J. Brown Foundation hosted the children at a sporting goods store on Monday for a shopping spree.
What the children did not know was that Brown would actually be there himself, helping them pick out what they wanted and covering all of the costs.
"My foundation is basically about mentorship, giving back to the community in any way possible, and supporting the kids," Brown said at the event. "We've adopted over 1,100 kids. So, I'm super excited about that, and just trying to do anything in my power just to give back to the community."
The kids from the Boys and Girls Club all received sweatshirts from the foundation and met employees of the store before the big surprise came.
When talking to the children beforehand, many of them said A.J. Brown was their favorite football player before they even knew he would be there.
After a few minutes, they walked over to the other side of the store, where their favorite player stood with his signature smile, grinning from ear-to-ear.
Before Brown went off to shop the store with everyone, he gave his words of wisdom to the children, professing the importance of education and health – which are part of the four pillars of his foundation: education, mentorship, wellness, and community engagement.
"Education is very important, you have to do that first, honestly. You cannot do all the things you love – dancing, playing sports – unless you do really well in the classroom. I'm excited to hear all of you guys are doing great in school, because you have to do that. And then, it's about following your dreams, doing what you love," Brown said.
"I play a physical game, so I have to be able to bounce back really quick. Of course, you guys want to grow big and get strong and do what you love, so that's just another step of playing or doing whatever you do."
Brown then went to every child in the group, helping them pick out whatever they wanted.
From new shoes and jackets to Eagles jerseys, Brown made sure everyone was happy. And like he said they would, the children made Brown smile too. One of the boys picked out an A.J. Brown jersey, which made Brown overjoyed, and he happily signed it for him.
Everyone in attendance had a smile on their faces and the boys and girls looked up to Brown, wanting his opinion on everything they picked out.
"It means everything. It's around Christmas, it's all about giving back, and it's an opportunity for me to come show face and put a smile on kids' faces – that's what it's all about," Brown said.
"The smiles it brings, it's priceless. You can't ask for too much and it made my day. I know they're excited to see me and probably more excited to shop, too. So, I'm going to try and make somebody's Christmas and have some fun."
When everyone was done shopping, the children from the Boys and Girls Club were given gift bags from the A.J. Brown Foundation and a parting message from Brown.
"I want to say thank you all for coming out today. I want to say, keep doing what you're doing in school, leading by example and being a leader. Continue to just take it one day at a time and have fun and enjoy life and give it your all," Brown told the kids before he left.
– Written by Liam Wichser
