20 Jan Pro Athlete Treats 50 Kids to Limousine Rides and a Christmas Shopping Spree

Ray Rice, the former Baltimore Ravens running back, hasn’t let his NFL hiatus get in the way of reaching out to the community. Just before Christmas, Rice arranged for 50 underprivileged children and their families to have a full limousine service to their local Toys R Us to make sure that they had presents under the tree this year.

Rice had already planned to attend an annual Toys For Tots charity event at a restaurant owned by his close friend, John Minadakis. But the event wasn’t taking place until 7 p.m., and the duo had a whole free day to do good.

Outside the Eastern Family Resource Center, which provides basic health care to homeless and uninsured Baltimore residents, families who were unable to afford Christmas gifts came across a fleet of stretch limos and party buses that were on their way to Toys R Us.

Before toys began flying off the shelves, Rice wanted to speak to the families briefly.

“I just want to tell ya’ll that I miss you,” Rice said. A number of voices from the crowd shouted, “We miss you too!”

“Now let’s go get it! Let’s enjoy it! Let’s have some fun!” Rice told the kids, who ran through the aisles with smiling faces.

Due to domestic violence charges in 2014, the general public has an unfavorable opinion of Ray Rice. Despite committing the heinous crime, Rice has tried to turn himself around and continue giving back to the disadvantaged Baltimore community, just as he did before he was suspended by the NFL. If an NFL team decides to sign Rice in the future, he said that he would donate 100% of his salary to domestic violence charities.

“Ray does this stuff all the time,” Minadakis said. “This is who he is, and the people in Baltimore know it. People still love him here, and they know what kind of a person he really is. All he needs is another chance and everybody will see it.”

During the holidays and into the New Year, many, like Rice, are taking the time to do good and give back to their communities. With 130,000 limousine services nationwide, it’s entirely possible for you to give back as well — consider contacting your local family health center or children’s organization to find out if it’s possible for you to arrange a children’s shopping spree for members of your own community.