G Joel Bitonio has been an active member in the Cleveland community during his 12-year career with the Browns. A few years ago, one of his friends recognized his impact and reached out with an idea.
His friend told Bitonio about an organization he thought Bitonio would be a fit for and connected him with the director of A Kid Again Northern Ohio.
Since the introduction, Bitonio has volunteered with the organization and has had cleats designed for My Cause My Cleats promoting A Kid Again for the past three years. He will do so again this season while also designing cleats championing the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) for the first time. Both organizations are focused on helping children.
“We have kids of our own and we want these kids to have the best chances in this world, and sometimes it’s not fair,” Bitonio said. “With both organizations, they’re helping families and kids that we want to be a part of them, so I wanted to do a pair of cleats for (NCJFCJ) as well.”
During Weeks 12 and 13, Bitonio and players across the league can highlight causes meaningful to them by wearing custom-designed cleats as part of the NFL’s My Cause My Cleats initiative. Launched in 2016, the program gives players a platform to showcase the organizations and movements they care about. The Browns will wear their cleats in Week 13 against the 49ers at Huntington Bank Field.
A Kid Again offers cost-free adventures for more than 800 families of children with life-threatening conditions. These adventures help children regain the joys of childhood while also giving families fun, stress-free moments together throughout the year. Bitonio has been involved with A Kid Again for multiple years, hosting families at training camp and raffling off his cleats for the organization.