Panthers highlight charities on their cleats. Here’s a look at the causes
Players on the Carolina Panthers are participating this week in an NFL initiative to raise awareness for charities of their choice. The league-wide program, called My Cause My Cleats, allows players to wear custom-designed cleats that highlight their selected charities during this weekend’s games.
The Panthers will play the Denver Broncos at 1 p.m. Sunday at Bank of America Stadium. Both teams are looking to improve a 4-8 record as the NFL calendar winds down. While the focus will be on the in-game action, the players’ cleats, and more importantly their charities, could steal the shoe ... er ... show.
Below is a complete list of participating Panthers and their selected charities.
Derrick Brown #95 DT — Wounded Warrior Project and USAA
The Wounded Warrior Project and USAA offer support to wounded veterans of the military.
“Humbled and honored to work with Wounded Warrior Project and USAA to lend a voice to those who served and need our help — now more than ever #MyCauseMyCleats #Salute to Service,” Brown posted on Instagram.
Brown has been active in charitable giving this year, donating more than $50,000 worth of Halloween costumes and accessories to under-served children in Charlotte and working with Sam’s Club to give five foster-care families affected by the pandemic a $1,000 gift card and free membership to the store in his hometown of Buford, Georgia.
Dennis Daley #65 G — Color of Change
Color for Change is a non-profit that advocates for civil rights by designing campaigns and providing online resources for meaningful actions that can be taken to fight for racial justice.
“It’s a blessing to bring awareness to this organization,” Daley posted on Instagram.
Corn Elder #29 CB — City Year
City Year is an education non-profit that partners with public schools in communities across the U.S. The organization provides resources and support to schools in under-served areas.
Tyler Larsen #69 C — The Autism Community in Action
The Autism Community in Action (TACA) provides resources, education and support to families living with autism. Larsen’s son, Ty, was diagnosed with autism last year.
Christian McCaffrey #22 RB — Christian McCaffrey Foundation
Launched this year, McCaffrey’s foundation supports the military, its servicemembers, first responders and their families.
Aaron Monteiro #62 T — Community Matters Cafe
In partnership with the Charlotte Rescue Mission, the Community Matters Cafe is based in Charlotte and aims to help individuals thrive after overcoming addiction.
Russell Okung #76 T — Children’s Health Defense
The Children’s Health Defense is an advocacy organization known for its anti-vaccine activism.
Troy Pride Jr. #25 CB — ACLU
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a national nonprofit that works to protect civil liberties through court cases, petitioning and grassroots initiatives. It is involved with a range of issues, including LGBTQ rights, immigration policy, racial justice and voting rights.
Michael Schofield #75 G — Schofield Family Foundation
The Schofield Family Foundation was started by Shofield and his wife, USWNT ice hockey captain and Olympian Kendall Coyne Schofield. The organization’s mission is to improve the lives of others, including those in the military, first responders, youth sports organizations and families in need through partnerships with other non-profits. The couple is very active in the charitable giving and donation space.
Ian Thomas #80 TE — Autism Charlotte and Kay Day Foundation
Autism Charlotte offers enrichment programs and fundraising events to promote autism awareness. The Kay Day Foundation raises awareness about the effects of domestic violence and gun violence, and offers counseling resources to individuals and families to combat those issues.
Shaq Thompson #54 LB — Thompson Legacy Fund
Thompson launched his foundation to serve low-income students in the Sacramento and Charlotte communities, focusing on mentorship, character development and dental hygiene. He was nominated for the 2020 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award for his charitable response to the COVID-19 pandemic and his advocacy for social justice and police reform in the Charlotte area.
Tahir Whitehead #52 LB — Tahir Whitehead TREC
The Newark Housing Authority named its Training Recreation Education Center after Whitehead in February. Whitehead, a former Newark (New Jersey) Housing resident, has been active in his hometown community by hosting free football camps, buying uniforms for high school students, feeding the homeless and sponsoring toy drives and book bag giveaways.
Colin Thompson #86 TE — Athletes Helping Athletes
Athletes Helping Athletes connects special needs athletes with other student-athletes and provides funding to special needs organizations throughout Bucks County, Pennsylvania and surrounding areas.
Brandon Zylstra #16 WR — One Love
The One Love Foundation educates young people about healthy relationships and empowers them to recognize and avoid abuse.
Additionally, Robby Anderson will wear cleats that recognizes single moms and Myles Hartsfield will wear a cleat design that promotes diabetes awareness. According to the Panthers, some players collaborated with Charlotte is Creative, a group of local artists who painted the Black Lives Matter mural in Uptown Charlotte.
The following artists created the cleat designs for Panthers players: Chad Cartwright (Tyler Larsen), DeNeer Davis (Michael Schofield, Brandon Zylstra), Lo’Vonia Parks (Corn Elder), Marcus Kiser (Aaron Monteiro), Frankie Zombie (Tahir Whitehead) and Destiny Wilson (Colin Thompson).
This story was originally published December 13, 2020 at 8:00 AM.
