Jerome Bettis Distributes Toys, Donates To Community Centers
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Some children in Pittsburgh got Christmas early.
Former Pro Football Hall of Fame Steelers running back Jerome Bettis spent his Saturday giving gifts to kids in the Pittsburgh area in his own kind of sleigh: a school bus.
As part of an initiative with his organization, The Jerome Bettis Bus Stops Here Foundation, Bettis distributed the toys in partnership with the Shadyside Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Pennsylvania and the Best of the Batch Foundation in Homestead.
"To give toys to kids, I think that's the best thing in the world."@JeromeBettis36 spent his Saturday delivering toys to community centers in Pittsburgh. pic.twitter.com/8Ff0jIjK6p
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) December 21, 2019
The Shadyside Clubhouse became a Bus Stop today! The kids received a gift from The Bus Stops Here Foundation. Thank you Jerome Bettis for this incredible Saturday for the kids in our community!
Posted by Shadyside Boys & Girls Club on Saturday, December 21, 2019
Bettis spoke with the children about the meaning of Christmas and that it was more than just about receiving gifts.
"I'm here to deliver some Christmas joy, some toys for everyone. But the most important part is understanding what Christmas is all about. So take this time to enjoy your family, enjoy your friends, because that's what Christmas and the holidays are all about."
He also gave a $5000 check to the Best of the Batch Foundation.
"I think it's important that we use whatever celebrity we have to help influence change and you know it's about Christmas spirit, it's about giving," Bettis said. "And what more can you do [than] to give toys to kids? I think that's the best thing in the world."
Bettis, known as "The Bus", played for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1996 to 2006. He established The Jerome Bettis Bus Stops Here Foundation in 1997 to help inner-city youth and children in need.