Browns coach Kevin Stefanski and family give back with Keepers Foundation to help kids

CLEVELAND — Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski would be the first to tell you his career hasn't been like some other football coaches. While they're stories of coaches hop-scotching around the country because that's just where the job has taken them, Stefanski's essentially found himself in two locales.

From the time he got his first job in the NFL with the Vikings in 2006 through the 2019 season, Stefanski called Minnesota's Twin Cities home. He got his first head coaching job with the Browns in 20202, which brought he and his family to Cleveland.

The 42-year-old hasn't left. In fact, he's been able to set up some roots, especially after the Browns extended he and general manager Andrew Berry's contracts on Wednesday.

"We've been very, very blessed and fortunate, like you mentioned, to be Minneapolis for a bunch of years, to be here," Stefanski said at the Under the Lights camp at Cleveland Browns Stadium, an event put on by his family's recently-created Keepers Foundation. "So I know there's different coaching stories where you're bouncing around every year. We have our roots here. We got three kids in this community going to schools locally here, so it does feel like home for us."

That feeling of "home" is a big reason why Stefanski and his family, for the first time since he's been the Browns coach, decided to create the Keepers Foundation. It is designed to help underprivileged kids in Northeast Ohio. The foundation was announced in April, with the name drawn from the Bible verse about "being your brother's keeper."

The Stefanskis have made the foundation a family affair. The name itself was chosen with input from their three kids, all of whom were in attendance for the event Thursday.

"I think for us it a big deal to have the kids involved and be a part of it because for us, we want not only to pass down to them how to learn how to treat others, to help others, especially," Michelle Stefanski said. "We always say to those that a lot is given, a lot is expected. So, it's a way to help our kids understand that and see that come to life and be a part of it."

There were roughly 200 youths among the participants in the event, which featured a flag football tournament. It also drew others from the Browns, including quarterback Deshaun Watson, offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey and wide receivers coach Chad O'Shea, as well as legendary former St. Ignatius High School football coach Chuck Kyle.

Kevin Stefanski said the foundation's second event, "A Night Our By the Lake," has already sold out. That was scheduled for next Thursday.

"For us, if we impact one kid, we consider that a success," Stefanski said. "I would tell you the response from the community has been unbelievable. People that are joining this cause with us. Again, we're looking out for the group that needs us to look out for them the most. That's what we're most excited about, is impacting these kids."

That goes back, for the Browns head coach, to his own childhood in Philadelphia. As he reflected on that childhood, he acknowledged how much coaches were key figures in helping to set him on the right path.

That's why Kevin Stefanski believes the opportunities the foundation can provide through sports-related events such as Thursday's camp can make a massive impact.

"Whether you're playing football or basketball or baseball, those coaches had a huge impact, at least in my life," Stefanski said. "So even seeing all these volunteers out here with 'coach' on the back of their shirt messages to me, we're here to help these kids. We're here to guide them, we're here to mentor them as much as we can, but certainly for football players, when you grow up, you revere your coaches, especially your high school coaches. I think that's for us something that we always think about throughout our career, and I was blessed to have some amazing coaches that help me as well."

Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Kevin Stefanski, wife aid underprivileged kids with Keepers Foundation