ENGLEWOOD, Colo. –With Thanksgiving on Thursday, several Broncos helped children get a head start on the holiday season Tuesday night at the sixth annual Shop With a Bronco event at Sports Authority.
Sports Authority donated $125 gift cards to each of the 42 children from the 14 branches of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver and offered them a 20 percent discount on the items they selected.
"It's great," linebacker Von Miller said. "When you make you a play on the field it's good but when you make plays in children's lives that's a good thing, too. It's a great cause tonight."
Several players and cheerleaders and Miles the mascot walked around the store helping the kids find items they wanted. Safety Mike Adams said that one of the kids he was shopping with picked out exclusively Broncos apparel, but others roamed the entire store.
No matter what items they selected, each child came away with a smile – something that was hard for Adams to put into words.
"It's something you can't describe," Adams said of the smiling faces. "Growing up I didn't have anything like this, somebody to take me shopping and do something like this for me. I couldn't imagine, so I wouldn't even put anything on it and let them enjoy the moment because it's a beautiful thing."
The children weren't the only ones with big smiles on their faces during the event. Defensive tackle Malik Jackson said that he also had a lot of fun.
"They said they like my shoes, other than that, it was just cool," Jackson said. "I was asking them how they are doing in school. It was pretty cool just getting to talk to kids again. Being around grown men all the time you don't really get to hang out and be goofy. So I was just being goofy, having a lot of fun and getting back to my kid roots."
Each of the kids was also given a football signed by all the players in attendance. The footballs and clothes and other items though were not the most important part of the evening.
"This time of the year, you never want anybody to go without feeling that love of this time of the year – that Christmastime and Christmas spirit," linebacker Wesley Woodyard said. "It's important that we share our love and be around the kids in the community."
