Growing up in and out of homeless shelters, defensive end of the Arizona Cardinals, didn’t grow up with a lot. Today, much has changed and Calais Campbell is lending his time and resources to kids he can truly relate to. Recently, the Third Annual, “Christmas with Calais” event took place to bring joy to some lucky children in Phoenix.
The event featured 50 under privileged children from the UMOM New Day Centers which Campbell paired with teammates (including Larry Fitzgerald pictured below) and surprised them each with a $200 Target shopping spree. The money allows them to do Christmas shopping, not only for their family members but for themselves.
The event started with a catered meal from Boston Market and a visit from Santa Claus, who led them in singing “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” Santa talked to those in attendance bout their wish list for Christmas.
Then Campbell and his teammates made a grand entrance. Each then took a group of children and assisted them throughout Target with their holiday shopping.
With experience living in homeless shelters himself, this event means a lot to Campbell. “I plan on doing this every year of my career, and then after if possible. As long as I can,” he said.
CRC Foundation , named after his father, worked with the UMOM New Day Centers to choose the children involved. Their mission at UMOM is to provide homeless families and individuals with safe shelter, housing and supportive services to assist them in reaching their greatest potential. It is the largest homeless shelter for families in Arizona. Here they are able to keep families together, we provide a continuum of care from emergency shelter to transitional housing and finally, permanent, affordable housing. Families at UMOM have the opportunity to gain the skills, medical care, quality child care, and education they need to rebuild their lives and succeed when they leave.
Mr. Campbell may not be Santa Claus but he is building a legacy with his foundation based on service. He may just be one of Santa’s super sized elves who happen to be good at making tackles.
More about The CRC Foundation:
The CRC Foundation is a non-profit, 501c(3) organization established in 2010 to teach skills that are not typically learned in a traditional classroom setting that are necessary for real life, such as accounting, budgeting, drug and alcohol awareness, cooking, diversity awareness, and writing. Future CRC classrooms will use the facilities as an alternative to negative activities in the community. Students will also have the opportunity to shadow mentors from the community, participate in sports and develop creative talents.
For more information please visit www.thecrcfoundation.org.
Foundation Contact:
Lauren Renschler, Centurion Strategies
310-463-0863
