A night filled with holiday magic

Dec 20, 2022 at 07:52 PM

Teresa Varley

Steelers.com

It was a magical night as Acrisure Stadium was transformed into a place filled with love and compassion when the Steelers hosted their annual Huddle for the Holidays, teaming up with Convoy of Hope for the incredible event.

The event, now in its fourth year and back to in-person after two years, is a unique one-of-a-kind outreach that provides necessities and the simple pleasures in life for kids and families from local organizations, including Gwen's Girls, Community Empowerment Association, Latino Community Center, Best of the Batch, Clairton Youth Development, La Rosa Pittsburgh, Amachi, Salvation Army, Jeremiah's Place and Center of Life.

"It's giving back during the holiday season," said Blayre Holmes-Davis, the Steelers Director of Community Relations. "It's a time when everyone is so excited, but it can also be a really difficult time for people too. We want to make sure we don't forget that.

"We have been blessed with so much as a team. Our players have been blessed with so much. We need to make sure we are prioritizing and making sure the community members that don't have, have during the holiday season. We are so joyful. Everyone should be joyful and giving during this time. Kids and families shouldn't be worried about putting food on the table, not knowing if they can buy gifts for their kids. Even just the dignity of a nice haircut. We are here so you can feel like it's a night you can spend with the Steelers and not worry about those things."

Current and former Steelers players were on hand en masse lending a hand at all the different stations and spreading love and bringing smiles.

"I just think helping the community is huge," said defensive tackle Cameron Heyward. "It's around Christmas time. Being able to provide presents, books, haircuts for anybody who needs it. They even have something for letters for Santa. This goes a long way to boost the morale, take a little off parent's shoulders and give back to the community.

"These are genuine smiles we are seeing. It means the world to so many families and the kids and stuff."

The evening provided a wide mix for everyone, from the essentials like health care resources provided by UPMC and the National Breast Cancer Foundation, haircuts by JPS Barbershop and manicures by Bella Capelli, to needs like winter coats sponsored by RSM US LLP, as well as shoes and socks, to the fun activities like arts & crafts, a photo booth and toy and book giveaways.

"It's absolutely critical for us to be involved," said Andy Bosman, Chief Marketing Officer for RSM. "One of our core values is stewardship. To us stewardship is every day giving back to the communities where we live and work and providing hope for those that it makes a world of difference for. To have the opportunity to partner with the Steelers and Convoy of Hope and give back this time of year I can think of no better way to spend my evening."

After going through all of the exciting stations, all of the families, which included a total of 500 people, were provided with groceries to help them through what can often be tough times.

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The Pittsburgh Steelers partnered with Convoy of Hope to give back to multiple community organizations in the Pittsburgh area, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Abigail Dean / Pittsburgh Steelers)