Cardinals tackle Kelvin Beachum along with Cardinals alumni, Big Red, Cardinals cheerleaders, and nearly 100 State Farm employees volunteered at the Boys and Girls Club of the Valley for Believe In AZ Kids Day on Thursday.
During the event, 200 kids were able to participate in activities surrounding healthy habits, education, and STEM.
It's a mission that Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill said the team was excited to be a part of, and the Cardinals -- along with State Farm -- donated $50,000 to the cause.
"It's about investing in our future generations," Bidwill told KPNX Ch.12. "When you can work with the Boys and Girls Club and State Farm, it's fun, it's education, it's sports, it's leadership development and it is character development. I think this is the perfect kind of program for us to partner up with."
It's one of those events for which Beachum, who is interested in technology, entrepreneurship, and philanthropy, enjoyed having a front-row seat.
Beachum sat down with a handful of kids during the Mbot robots competition.
"The Boys and Girls Club offers food after school and also offers activities after school," Beachum said. "And what I love about it is they're offering technology after school to make sure these young people realize how important being a part of the global economy is."
"I think for me, the most important thing is being able to show these kids that you can be whatever you want to be. It doesn't matter where you start, just find a way to get involved in a community and allow that community to be what sets you on a trajectory to be successful in life."
The opportunities to be successful have grown exponentially due to the generous commitment made to the community. Tim Emory, the Boys and Girls Club's Vice President of Resource Development said seeing the kids reap the benefits makes it all worth it.
"All of the odds are stacked against them right now, but because they're here, because they have the opportunities that somebody like Kelvin provides, it's going to give them a better chance to succeed in life," Emory said. "We've been talking about this probably since March, so the fact that it's here is still a little surreal."
