Working with Stay in the Game! has benefited schools like Helen Steiner Rice across the state as they seek to come up with incentives for their students to attend school.
"Bringing on the partnership with the Cleveland Browns has been an incredible experience. I was just sharing with some of the other staff how empowering it is for some of our students who don't necessarily succeed in academics, but it gives them the opportunity to show some strengths and what they can do," Helen Steiner Rice principal Brittany Brookbank said. "It's remarkable the amount that the Cleveland Browns and Meijer have put into the program, because I do see a big difference."
In addition to their efforts to increase school attendance, the Browns Flag In-Schools program is active in 165 elementary schools across Northeast and Central Ohio. The program is dedicated to developing a turn-key flag football implementation model for elementary physical education teachers and their classes, aiming to prioritize flag football as an in-school physical activity to build and maintain a foundation of healthy, lifelong physical activity among students.
The Browns are committed to advancing the game of youth and high school football throughout Northeast Ohio with year-round programming for players, coaches, officials and parents. Through camps, clinics and other in-school initiatives, the Browns' goal is to promote the healthy, social, emotional, intellectual and physical development of youth by enhancing opportunities for youth football participation and education opportunities.
Gym Class Takeovers, presented by Meijer, are a key way the Browns are able to engage with students and encourage both school attendance and physical activity. Volunteers from local Meijer stores help run the activity stations at each Gym Class Takeover.
"It's about giving back to the communities and it's important for the team to understand that the work that we do helps support this," Brown said. "I've been [at Meijer] for 29 years and a good part of the reason why I've been here for so long is because it's not just about the items we sell, it's about enriching the lives and the communities we serve."