The Denver Broncos have had a pivotal impact on the local community of Denver all throughout the year. On Monday evening, veteran safety Kareem Jackson and various teammates gave back to a large group of youth right before the holidays.

Kareem Jackson successfully hosts annual ‘Shop With A Jock’ with Denver Broncos teammates

From a football perspective, this Broncos season hasn’t gone how anybody could have imagined, but what often gets lost within the business side of football is the impact players still create for members of their local community. The Denver Broncos have consistently invested countless hours giving back to the community, something that has won them ESPN’s Humanitarian Team of the Year.

On Monday evening, Kareem Jackson and various Broncos teammates spent time with over 50 local youth from the Boys and Girls Club of Denver ranging in ages from 6-17 years old. Jackson’s event was made possible in partnership with Walmart which helped provide each kid with a $100 gift card, dinner, a special t-shirt from the event, and the experience of getting to shop with Jackson and his teammates.

For the Broncos’ 13-year veteran, this event has been a hallmark of his every year since he’s been in the league.

“It means a lot around this time of the year,” Jackson said on Monday during his ‘Shop With A Jock’ event. “To be able to give some kids a Christmas, some kids may not get some gifts, but to be able to do that in the Denver community means a lot to me.”

Jackson’s ‘Shop With A Jock’ event formulated the moment he entered the National Football League as a first-round draft pick, something that has meant a lot to him each year.

“For me the holidays are big,” Jackson said. “Think about family, think about being able to open Christmas presents for me as a kid, being fortunate enough to have parents to be able to bless me with that and to be in the situation that I’m in, to be able to use my platform to give back to some kids that are less fortunate. It means a lot. This time of the year, thinking about Christmas, I feel is for kids, they deserve to be able to be happy in these situations.”

Jackson’s teammates who were present in attendance included Justin Simmons, P.J. Locke, Eric Saubert, Will Sherman, Netane Muti, Alex Singleton, and Tim Patrick. For Jackson, it meant a lot to him to have his teammates out there and he hopes it inspires them to have events like this of their own throughout their careers.

Each player was assigned a group of young kids to take shopping throughout the store where toys and the video game aisle were especially popular. Bright smiles radiated throughout the night as players spent time with each member of the youth in attendance.

While professional athletes are consistently analyzed through the microscope of wins and losses, what’s truly important is that we all contribute toward fighting against the dehumanization of athletes who grace our televisions, because, beyond the sport they play, the impact they have on so many lives off the field is worth more than winning a game and that was truly evident on Monday evening.