For one night, football took a back seat. Baltimore Ravens players spent part of their day off Tuesday with approximately 100 children impacted by cancer and their siblings during the team’s Crucial Catch Day at Stratosphere Social in Eldersburg, MD.
The event brought together children and families representing Casey Cares, Cool Kids Campaign, Horizon Day Camp, MedStar Health and Ronald McDonald House as part of the NFL’s Crucial Catch initiative, which promotes cancer awareness and early detection.
For Ravens wide receiver Chris Moore, the experience offered a reminder that the impact went both ways.
“I’m probably having more fun than they are, but it’s been a blast,” Moore told Double Take Sports.
Moore was one of several Ravens who took part in the event, along with Justice Hill, Nnamdi Madubuike, Kaimon Rucker, Mike Green, LaJohntay Wester and Jay Higgins IV.
Throughout the evening, players joined the children for bowling, arcade games, cornhole and plenty of activities that gave them several opportunities to bond with the young people in attendance.
Moore said hearing the children’s stories and seeing their joy helped put everyday challenges into perspective.
“Just to hear their stories and see how they’re still here, living in the moment and having such joyous smiles on their faces,” Moore said. “It shows you like our little problems that we go through on a daily basis, and there’s nothing to what they’re fighting every day, and they’re still able to come out here and just have a blast.”
One of the night’s most personal activities gave children the opportunity to design sweatshirts that select Ravens players will wear during pregame warmups ahead of Baltimore’s Crucial Catch game against the Tennessee Titans on Oct. 4.
Moore teamed up with one young participant to create his sweatshirt design. When she decided against drawing a Ravens head, the two came up with a shield instead.
“She wanted to go her own way,” Moore said. “So we came up with the shield. She did her design, and I taught her how to do her autograph. So her autograph is on there.”
That collaboration will make wearing the sweatshirt even more meaningful for Moore.
“It’s going to be very special, especially being able to spend time with her while drawing it,” he said. “It’s not one that’s just handpicked. Me and her both worked on it, and we came up with something awesome.”
Moore also pointed to the platform NFL players have to bring attention to causes beyond football.
“We have such a large platform as NFL players to be able to promote anybody in any way that has any type of need, but especially dealing with cancers or anything like that,” he said. “It’s an honor and a privilege to be able to use my voice to allow people to bring awareness to it.”
For the children, Tuesday offered an evening of games, laughter and time with Ravens players. For the players, it offered something in return — perspective.
And when Moore and his teammates take the field for Baltimore’s Crucial Catch game, the sweatshirts they wear will carry reminders of the children who helped create them.