Pittsburgh Steelers Wide Receiver Juju Smith-Schuster is scoring touchdowns on and off the field. Offering a helping hand during the holiday season, the USC graduate paid off a $25,000 layaway fee for Compton residents at a local department store. To get the job done, he enlisted the help of his mother, Sammy Toa-Schuster, the Pay Away The Layaway Foundation and the Juju Foundation.
"I've been there, I know what it feels like. I know what it feels like to not make Christmas happen for your kids," Sammy Toa-Schuster said.
"So, this hits home for me. That's why we started the JuJu Foundation, so we can give hope, we can give Christmas, we can give love to families who are in need."
This time around, the Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver helped out 88 families in need. Previously, he reached out to offer Thanksgiving meals to senior citizens in the Pittsburgh area. The Steelers also bought dinner for poll workers during the election.
“This has been an especially difficult year for so many families. Our mission at Pay Away the Layaway is to inspire hope and spread kindness, so what better way to kick off the holiday season than by surprising these families with the gifts they had on layaway for their kids," Pay Away the Layaway Founder Lee Karchawer said.
“Every child deserves to smile on Christmas.”
The star wide receiver will return to the field this Monday as the Steelers look to bounce back from their second consecutive loss. Mike Tomlin and company will take on the Cincinnati Bengals.
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