Christmas came early this year for the kids at the UPMC Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh, PA — with a visit from a very large and robust Santa that they won’t soon forget. Wearing a camo-clad Santa suit and toting a bag stuffed full of holiday gifts from the Field & Stream Shop, former Pittsburgh Steelers Defensive End Brett Keisel spread holiday cheer to the delight of the families gathered for the event.

“We got this great idea from our friends at Field & Stream that we should get dolled up in some sweet Mossy Oak camo and come down here and spread some holiday cheer — outdoor cheer for the kids that aren’t able to get out right now for the hunting season,” Keisel said. “Maybe we could bring the field to them a little bit. The things that these kids have got to go through is heartbreaking, and this was an awesome opportunity to come down and give them some reprieve — to spread some cheer for just a little bit. And it’s awesome that Field & Stream felt the same way and let us [give out] a bunch of cool gear so Christmas could come a little early for these kids.”

Keisel is a long-time supporter of the Children’s Hospital and truly believes it’s important to give back to your community. “I got involved when a teammate’s son got diagnosed with leukemia,” he said. “It became something I wanted to learn more about and do more about. Since 2010, I’ve been growing my beard out and shave it every year, and all the money goes toward the Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh.”

So what Field & Stream goodies were in Santa’s bag? “We gave away lots of stuff,” Keisel said. “Camo hats, Yeti mugs, shirts, fishing rods, slippers, stuffed dolls, a tent and sleeping bags, you name it, we brought it down.” And the most popular? “It was the slippers, man, the little puppy slippers.”

Keisel says he is grateful for growing up in a family that passed on the hunting tradition, and that it’s up to the hunting community to continue to spread the word. That it’s important to give back — something as simple as taking someone for a walk outside or inviting someone to go fishing or hunting with you. “It’s up to us all to spread the love we have for the outdoors,” he said. “It’s something that’s quite simple, but we all know is so valuable and it’s up to us all to continue to talk about those traditions.”

Regionally, nationally and globally, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh is a leader in the treatment of childhood conditions and diseases, a pioneer in the development of new and improved therapies, and a top educator of the next generation of pediatricians and pediatric subspecialists. With generous community support, Children’s Hospital has fulfilled this mission since its founding in 1890. Children’s is named consistently to several elite lists of pediatric hospitals, including ranking in nine of the 10 pediatric subspecialties in the prestigious U.S. News & World Report annual Honor Roll of America’s Best Children’s Hospitals for 2018–2019. For more information, visit www.chp.edu.

For more information on the Field & Stream Shop, visit www.FieldAndStreamShop.com.

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