Devils Bring Holiday Cheer to Children Across New Jersey

NEWARK, NJ – Less than a week before Christmas, the New Jersey Devils players and alumni set out on a voyage on Wednesday afternoon to bring holiday cheer to children across the state as part of their annual community giveback day, a tradition that dates back to their expansion year in 1982. In a partnership with RWJBarnabas Health, the team visited patients and caregivers at 11 area medical centers and five different Newark-based community centers while bringing presents in tow.

This year, the team incorporated the additional visits to the community centers, which New Jersey Devils president Hugh Weber says was done in a way to ‘organize a maximum impact’ on the children’s lives. He estimates that the Devils organization was able to have an effect on the lives of over 1,000 children through today’s initiative. Weber was joined on Wednesday by Devils goaltender Cory Schneider and defenseman Andy Greene at Brighter Tomorrows Children’s Academy on Market St. in Newark as they handed out gifts to young children between the ages of three and five-years-old.

“We want the New Jersey Devils to represent the entire community and to be able provide a little bit of joy during the holidays is important for us,” explained Weber, who is entering his fifth year with the organization. “I think the future is very bright for these kids and the neighborhood that we’re a part of and to be a part of this upward trajectory over the last few years is something special.”

Schneider, who was accompanied by his wife Jill, recalled the joy and excitement that he sees on his two-year-old son’s face when he opens gifts and that was a driving force of the gratification for him giving back to the community that afternoon.

“I think coming to a school like this and being able to give these kids gifts today was something really cool,” the Devils net minder said. “Not everyone is fortunate enough to get a lot of gifts or anything for that matter (for the holidays), so we just wanted to make sure that we came by and give these kids some gifts and give them a smile before the holidays start.”

Participating in his 11th Community Giveback Day with the Devils, Greene, the team’s captain has embraced the role of giving back to the community and says it’s something he looks forward to every year.

“It was cool to see the excitement on the kids’ faces this afternoon,” suggested Greene. “Being able to give back to the community and these kids is awesome and we’re very fortunate to be in a position to do that.”

The staff and faculty at Brighter Tomorrows Children’s Academy were appreciative of the team’s visit to the school and snapped pictures of their students interacting with the players. They spoke highly of the team’s gesture of bringing gifts to all of the students during the holidays.

“This has been one of the most exciting things that has come to Brighter Tomorrows Children’s Academy,” said the school’s executive director Mary Clark-Petty. “They made a major impact in these children’s lives because not every family has the same economic means. When someone comes in and brings a holiday joy like this, we’re very appreciative of it.”

For the Devils, giving back to the community is in the team’s DNA, but their annual holiday giveback day is always something special and it is an event the organization prides itself on every year. The children certainly appreciate it, and that’s what matters most during the holidays.