Many children cannot wait to see Good Ole Santa Claus, but local kids who are less fortunate got a chance to shop with Manti (Te'o) Claus and his Notre Dame teammates Monday night.
"We're brightening up a couple guys and gals today in terms of what they're going to be able to have for Christmas," said Notre Dame Head Coach Brian Kelly.
He is actually understating it. Coach Kelly and the Notre Dame football team helped shop with 100 underprivileged kids from St. Joseph Co. (IN) by giving them each a $100 dollar gift card to Meijer courtesy of the Kelly Cares Foundation.
"It kind of epitomizes some of the things that we're trying to show with our Kelly Cares Foundation," said Pacqui Kelly, Coach Kelly's wife. "Being community based and health and education based and heal and education based to get along and connect with some of the people."
Many of the kids with the players were able to get themselves some of their holiday must haves including video games and toys. However, most kids were more concerned with finding gifts for their loved ones, instead of themselves.
"I mean I was asking [the boy I was shopping with] the whole time if there was anything you know that you wanted for yourself and I mean I really had to pry to get him to even look for anything for himself," said Mike Golic Jr., Notre Dame OL. "It was very cool to see that out of such a young kid."
Even though the players did not get any tangible gifts, the experience helped give them somewhat of an early present.
"This is definitely a good change up to just kind of relax and do something that not only helps yourself feel good, but it helps somebody else and their family," said T. J. Jones, Notre Dame WR. "It gets you out of that rough and tough mindset of going hard all the time on the football field."
Needless to say, the holiday shopping event was one that neither the kids or the team will ever forget.
"[The children] know our players as guys that run around on the football field or that go to class but there's another component to developing your football team. It's to being other centered, so this is an opportunity for our players to be a part of the community," said Brian Kelly.
The event was held at the Meijer off Grape Rd. in Mishawaka.
