Jason Taylor Foundation Helps Outfit Local Children

By Michael Birnbaum (Contact)

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Big Washington Redskins players helped small Loudoun County kids pick out some back-to-school clothing Monday.

Fifty Loudoun middle-school students were awarded shopping sprees by the Jason Taylor Foundation, a charitable group founded by the football team’s new defensive end. The students, who were picked on the basis of need by principals at five schools, were allowed to spend up to $300 at the Old Navy at Leesburg Corner Premium Outlets.

“When I was young, I was one of the kids who ... my clothes didn’t fit the next school year,” Jason Taylor said. “I want the kids to feel comfortable about themselves.”

Players from the Redskins and the Washington Capitals hockey team, along with cheerleaders from those teams and the Washington Wizards basketball team, paired with children to help them pick out new gear.

Some kids were overjoyed to see their sports heroes up close. Others were just happy to get some new clothing.

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Athletes Provide Back-to-School Clothing to Middle-Schoolers

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Jason Taylor speaks to children from Loudoun middle schools at the Old Navy in the Leesburg Corner Premium Outlets on Sept. 8 as part of a shopping spree for back-to-school clothing that his foundation sponsored. (Michael Birnbaum)

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Redskins defensive end Chris Wilson helps Sterling Middle School student Felipe Mendoza, 13, pick out clothes at the Old Navy at Leesburg Corner Premium Outlets Sept. 8. Wilson and other professional athletes were there with the Jason Taylor Foundation. (Michael Birnbaum)

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“I don’t watch their show,” Felipe Mendoza, a seventh-grader at Sterling Middle School, said of the Redskins. “But a lot of people like them.”

Mendoza was paired with Redskins defensive end Chris Wilson, who tallied Felipe’s purchases on a tiny calculator.

“You should get a couple of those,” Wilson said, pointing at a pack of athletic socks. Later, he squeezed a soccer ball that Felipe wanted, trying to assess its quality.

When Felipe had trouble picking out enough clothing to reach the $300 mark, Wilson told him to splurge a little.

“To splurge?” Felipe asked. “What does that mean?”

Tagged: kids, Redskins, schools

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