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Photos: Cardinals' Larry Fitzgerald Gifts Children a Christmas Shopping Spree
December 24, 2019
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald partnered with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America to give more than 20 children shopping sprees at a Dick's Sporting Goods store in Arizona on Monday.
Fitzgerald said the shopping spree continued a tradition started by his mother, Carol Fitzgerald, who died of a brain hemorrhage in 2003. He has held this event for four years and said it's important for him to instill the importance of charity in his children, per Greg Moore of the Arizona Republic:
"This is all I knew growing up. My mom would bring us to different organizations, different charity events, different fundraisers. It just became a part of who we were, my brother and I, my father, my mother. It's just what we did. Now, being able to bring my son, Devin, and my younger son, Apollo, bringing them here and showing them exactly what my mother showed us, now I don't even have to push them to come. They're like, 'Dad, are we going to this event this year?' … They want to do it. They see that's it's important, and that's what it’s really about is passing it down to the next generation. That's how giving starts."
Dick's donated $5,000 for the shopping spree, which Fitzgerald matched. The future Hall of Famer also helped the children pick out their items at the event.
Fitzgerald was the recipient of the 2016 NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year Award for his charitable contributions.
