Community Outreach - Community Events & Outreach
Packers Staff Collections
Each quarter throughout the year, Packers employees adopted a non-profit organization in Green Bay, for which they collected items of need. As a result of the staff’s generosity, House of Hope, Salvation Army Coats for Kids Program, Literacy Green Bay and the Northwest Technical College Career Closet all received boxes of contributions to assist them in serving others.
American Red Cross Blood Drives and DKMS Bone Marrow Registry
The Packers partner with the American Red Cross several times each year to host blood drives for both staff and community members. Throughout the year, nearly 750 units of blood were collected at Lambeau Field, impacting up to 2,250 patients in need of a donation. Attendees of the fall blood drive were also offered an opportunity to register as a bone marrow donor through DKMS, the largest bone marrow donor center in the world.
Project LEAP!
Project LEAP! is an event designed to get children and their families out of the house to participate in fun, physical activity in the midst of harsh Wisconsin winters. Among the activities offered at the event are inflatables, climbing walls, bungee trampolines, face painting and entertainment.
65 Roses Celebrity Golf Tournament
As part of a long-standing tradition in Green Bay, Head Coach Mike McCarthy served as the honorary chairman for the 65 Roses Celebrity Golf Tournament. For nearly 25 years, the organization has teamed up with Humana to raise more than $615,000 to fight cystic fibrosis.
Jerry Parins Cruise for Cancer
Jerry Parins, former Director of Security for the Packers, hosts the annual Jerry Parins Cruise for Cancer each summer. The motorcycle ride has raised $590,000 over the last nine years for various local cancer-related organizations. The ride was created by Parins a mere 16 months after he was diagnosed with cancer in 2003.
Mike & Jessica McCarthy Golf Tournament
Established in June 2010, the Mike and Jessica McCarthy Golf Tournament benefits the American Family Children’s Hospital in Madison, WI. In just three years, the event has raised an impressive net total of more than $500,000, with contributions and participation increasing each year. In 2012, the tournament raised more than $270,000 in net profit, with proceeds going to the hospital’s “Sick Kids Can’t Wait” campaign. The campaign is designed to meet the needs of sick children by further developing and improving the resources and facilities at the hospital.
Training Camp
Each summer, the Packers hold their annual training camp at Ray Nitschke Field. The newly renovated field, which seats 1,500 fans, holds more than 20 practices each year, with an estimated attendance of 100,000 fans throughout camp. Practices are viewed free of charge. The field is located directly across the street from Lambeau Field, which allows players the opportunity to keep alive the long-standing tradition of riding young fans’ bikes to practice, providing the kids a memory and a story to last a lifetime.
Tailgate Tour
Several players, alumni and staff departed in May on a five-day journey through Wisconsin for the organization’s annual Tailgate Tour. President/CEO Mark Murphy and players Mason Crosby and Jordy Nelson, as well as alumni players William Henderson, Larry McCarren and Marco Rivera made stops in La Crosse, Madison, Kenosha, Cedarburg/Grafton and Sturgeon Bay. In addition to impromptu stops, the group made nightly appearances at a tailgate party in each city, with all proceeds benefiting a designated non-profit organization. Since the tour’s inception seven years ago, 30 organizations throughout Wisconsin and Upper Michigan have raised in excess of $825,000 for their work in the community.
Welcome Back Luncheon
Each year in the midst of training camp, the Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce hosts the Welcome Back Luncheon. The event welcomes the players and coaches back to the area for the upcoming season, and serves as an opportunity for members of the community to interact with the team, as a player or coach is assigned to each table to mingle and dine with guests.
Family Night
During training camp, the Packers host Family Night, presented by Bellin Health, an event designed for fans to enjoy a practice with a game-like atmosphere at Lambeau Field. Annually, the team hosts and honors a local charity at the scrimmage that has made a difference in the lives of its fans. As a result, 1,000 Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes members, staff and volunteers joined in the festivities and were recognized during the scrimmage.
Ladies of Lambeau
Ladies of Lambeau, a group comprised of female employees and board members, and wives or partners of employees, board members, players and coaches, work to undertake projects that will make a difference in the lives of people near and far. This year’s project involved making blankets for residents at area nursing homes. Approximately 150 volunteers created 200 blankets during the event. In addition, three volunteers were randomly selected and asked to designate their favorite Wisconsin charity to receive a $1,000 Packers grant.
Brown County Children’s Charity Golf Classic
On an annual basis, the Packers team up with Brown County to host the Children’s Charity Golf Classic, with proceeds from the 2012 event going to benefit the Northeast Wisconsin Technical College Educational Foundation and the Brown County Human Services Department Pals Program. Through the support of Packers President/CEO Mark Murphy and other administrative staff who attended the event, $55,000 was raised for the programs.
Green and Gold Gala
The 24th annual Green and Gold Gala was once again held at Lambeau Field in 2012. With the strong support of the Packers organization, crucial funds were raised for Family Services of Northeast Wisconsin, an organization aimed at offering services to families in crisis and need.
Packers Community Day
A steady rain did not dampen the spirits of more than 50 Packers employees who spent the day refurbishing the playground equipment in Green Bay’s John Muir Park with the assistance of the Green Bay Parks Department. In addition to the park project, employees visited five area nursing facilities to visit with residents, take part in the afternoon’s activity and deliver fleece blankets made by the Ladies of Lambeau.
NFL Hometown Huddle
The Packers, United Way and the City of Milwaukee teamed up in the fall to build a new playground at Smith Park in Milwaukee as part of the NFL Hometown Huddle project. Area school children were invited to visit the playground construction site as well as meet the Packers players who were helping with the project that day.
Pro vs. G.I. Joe Program
As part of the Pro vs. G.I. Joe program, several Packers players connected with active Wisconsin National Guard members in a friendly battle of the video game “Call of Duty.” Soldiers who were stationed in Afghanistan, Kuwait and Qatar were able to compete against the players via a video-conference setup on the Lambeau Field Atrium balcony. Families of the deployed soldiers were also invited to the competition.
Spooktacular Fun at Lambeau Field
For two days each October, Lambeau Field is transformed for a celebration of all things Halloween. The 10th annual Spooktacular Fun event featured interactive entertainment, including magic, miming and hypnotism. In addition to the kids’ event, the Packers opened the doors to the Haunted Concourse, a spookhouse designed for area teens.
Ecumenical Thanksgiving Day Dinner
For the 10th consecutive year, Lambeau Field welcomed in local people in need looking to partake in fellowship and a freshly prepared Thanksgiving meal. Nearly 500 volunteers from the community gathered at Lambeau Field to serve a sit-down meal to approximately 900 guests. An additional 1,100 meals were delivered directly to the doors of those who were homebound.
Salvation Army Bell Ringing Campaign
Packers players and staff lent a hand to the Salvation Army during the holiday season. They could be seen and heard throughout the area ringing bells and signing autographs in an effort to raise funds for the organization and make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate.
Families of Children with Cancer Holiday Party
Nine Packers players teamed up with the Families of Children with Cancer group to make the holidays a bit brighter for young cancer patients and their families at the group’s annual holiday party. Guests enjoyed talking to the players and competing in various games against them, and were thoroughly entertained as they all took to the stage to sing some classic holiday songs.
Away Game Pep Rallies
While the Packers travel across the nation to compete in away games, the team’s alumni participate in pep rallies at various establishments in some of the cities in which the team is playing. These rallies help gather Packers fans from across the nation and build excitement for the team when they are playing away from home.