More than 50 first responders from across Northeast Ohio got a day built just for them in Berea on Tuesday, October 27, when the Cleveland Browns and Bud Light hosted their second annual First Responders Day at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus, according to the Browns’ official report. The event celebrated National First Responders Day, which fell on Wednesday, October 28.
The honorees came from a cross-section of Northeast Ohio agencies and organizations, the Browns said. They included the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department, the Northern Ohio Fire Fighters Association, IAFF Local 93, the Cleveland Hopkins Airport Fire Department, the Fairview Park Fire Department, the Brook Park Fire Department, the Cleveland Association Rescue Employees and Aluminum Cans for Burned Children, a group that supports young burn survivors.
The day started with a behind-the-scenes tour of the team’s Berea facility, followed by lunch — smashburgers from CleaveLand Grill — and a turn on the practice field. The first responders ran non-contact football drills with Browns tight end Blake Whiteheart, caught punts launched from a JUGS machine and worked through agility ladders, according to the Browns’ report, which noted Whiteheart was especially impressed by the athleticism on display during the punt-catching.
Whiteheart had a personal reason for taking part. His brother serves in the U.S. Air Force, and he told clevelandbrowns.com: “For me, especially as someone who has a brother in the Air Force who’s an active service member, I think it’s really important that we pour into them because it’s a hard life.”
The biggest moment came at the end of the day, when Bud Light surprised the group with tickets to the Browns’ Week 12 home game against the Raiders on November 29. The first responders will also be on the field during the national anthem before that game, courtesy of Bud Light. When Whiteheart shared the news, the group answered with an excited cheer, according to the Browns. “It’s nice to get that kind of recognition for these guys and have the Browns support,” Williams Ross, executive director of Aluminum Cans for Burned Children, told clevelandbrowns.com.
The celebration also supported Folds of Honor, a nonprofit that provides educational scholarships to the families of fallen or disabled military service members and first responders. The organization has awarded nearly 86,000 scholarships worth almost $400 million, according to the Browns. “Having a partnership with the Browns totally amplifies Folds of Honor and the awareness in Northern Ohio,” Mark Sierak, a regional impact officer for Folds of Honor, told clevelandbrowns.com.
For the departments involved, the recognition now extends well past one afternoon in Berea. The honorees will return to Cleveland’s lakefront stadium on November 29, this time as guests on the field in front of a home crowd — a public thank-you for work that usually happens far from any spotlight. The Browns said the event, now in its second year, reflects the continuing support of the team and Bud Light for first responders and military service members.
Photo: Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0