Ravens Visit Johns Hopkins Children’s Center

Members of the Baltimore Ravens visited the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center to help cheer them up as they get ready for the holidays.  LB Arthur Brown, RB Justin Forsett and OLB Courtney Upshaw were all on hand and they took photos with the children. They also signed an array of Ravens memorabilia for the kids. They were very excited to get to spend an afternoon with the players. It was a great experience because for some, it was their first opportunity to interact with professional athletes.

It’s not often that fans see the tender loving side of big, bruising players such as Courtney Upshaw. It was very clear that this event connected with a warm spot in his heart. Upshaw was really touched by the way his appearance brought so much joy out of the kids that he spent time with.

“This is a very special moment to see the smiles on their face. Then to see the parents here too with the kids and see the smile on their face because their kids are happy, this is the best feeling that you can have.” Upshaw continued, “I am not the type to try and get kids hopes up and then ruin that for them. I want to see them happy. If I have the opportunity to come back, I will. I would come back for any event. At the end of the day, I just felt like I really wanted to be here. I just wanted to be here with the kids.”

The road that Forsett traveled to become a star player in the NFL is an inspiration to anyone that has to fight the odds. He’s always been accused of being too small but he has carried more than his weight this season. The kids at the children’s center and their parents have a lot of weight to carry themselves. It was a relief for them to meet Forsett and he was honored to be able to provide that for them.

“This is what it’s all about. What I do on Sundays is one thing but I believe I was put on Earth for something bigger than football.” Forsett said. “Just to be able to give back, be a servant, help others and give them encouragement, to put a smile on somebody’s face, it’s a blessing to me. This kind of work was instilled in me. The principles based off of the Bible,  my father always taught us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.  This is a part of it. To be able to help out the kids, be there for them, to take pictures with them, it’s such a blessing.”

Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith was also on hand despite being on crutches and having his foot in a walking boot. The walking boot actually drew just as much attention as he did. He sat in a chair and took pictures as he talked to the kids and their parents. The staff at the center brought some of the kids into the room to spend time with him while the other Ravens players visited children on the other floors of the center. Smith shared an interaction that he had with one of the children.

“The first thing that they say to me is ‘What happened to you too?’ They can kind of relate like ‘Oh,  we’re both hurt.’ One of the kids had a broken arm and he has been here for two weeks. He was down but it’s good for them to come and see me. I can tell them that I’m feeling ok and that they’ll be ok too. Even his mom too. She got into the conversation as well and she was happy to come down and see us.” Smith said. “This is huge. A lot of these kids in here have to spend Christmas and holidays in here away from their friends. It’s good to come in and lift their spirits, even if it’s only for an hour.”

The players spent over an hour of their time with the patients at the center. It was obvious that they enjoyed their experience just as much as the children did. This is just one of the many events that the Ravens have done throughout their community this season. They will be busy spreading holiday cheer during the holidays.

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