Former Eagle surprises South Philly kids with $200 spree

Former Eagle's $200 spree for South Philly kids

Former Eagle Joel Gamble provided a Christmas shopping spree for twenty kids. The recipients are kids at Andrew Hamilton School who have high attendance. Other former NFL players supported Gamble by providing money for groceries and words of encouragement to the youth.

PHILADELPHIA - A group of deserving kids in South Philadelphia received an early holiday surprise, thanks to a former Philadelphia Eagle. 

A special holiday surprise for local kids 

Christmas came early for about 20 kids who were rewarded for their school accomplishments by former Eagles player Joel Gamble and other athletes. 

"The surprise...all 20 students in this room are gonna get a 200 dollar shopping spree for Christmas!" said Joel Gamble, CEO of Joel Gamble Community Youth Outreach, to applause from the families gathered at a Walmart in South Philly. 

Gamble, along with former NFL players Brandon Hepburn, Desmond Wynn, and Nydair Rouse, shared words of encouragement with the kids before they began shopping. 

"Just that we people do care, people want to give back," said Gamble. 

Rouse, a community director at It Takes a Village to Feed One Child Foundation, also provided $100 to each family for groceries. "I know I grew up with food insecurity and stuff like that," said Rouse. 

A tradition of giving back 

This marks the eighth year of Gamble's "December to Remember" event, which was previously held in Baltimore, Maryland, where Gamble began his NFL career. 

The initiative aims to bring joy and support to families during the holiday season. 

Nine-year-old Simone Keyes, a fourth grader, expressed her excitement about the opportunity. 

"I'm looking for art supplies and a little jewelry and I'm happy because I actually did a lot of writing in school and reading at school, so I'm excited for it," she said. 

Her parents, Sheri Castle and Rodney Keyes, shared their pride in their daughter's dedication to her education. 

The students selected for this event attend Andrew Hamilton School, where Dr. Torrence Rothmiller is the principal. 

"Our students here have over 95 percent attendance or more and we are honored to be here with them," said Rothmiller.