Eagles gather in Operation Snowball, distributing gifts for Philly school students
PHILADELPHIA - Through the streets of South Philly, the journey of Operation Snowball began with police escorts navigating Santa’s special Eagles' friends on a mission to give kids gifts and holiday joy.
The first destination was at Kirkbride Elementary, where Pennsylvania Governor Shapiro got the party started, introducing former and current Eagles players Jason Kelce, Connor Barwin, Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata.
And, what would be an Eagles party without the iconic Philly mascots bringing their brand of excitement to the students?
Santa’s crew was on a tight schedule with a mission of spreading joy to those not naughty but nice.
Which led the players to Ben Franklin High School, where gifts were given to a group of hardworking honor roll students.
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"Seeing the Eagles players is very inspiring to different kids, but I already knew that you all were coming so, I was mentally prepared," says Jaseem Garrett, a 12th grade student.
Another 12th grader, Treasure Speaks, displayed her gifts saying, "I got an autograph from Gillie Da Kid! They gave me a beanie, lipstick, and a gift card."
You heard that right - a number of other guests came along for the ride, from Philly rapper Gillie Da Kid to comedian Pete Davidson.
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"I just want to honor our community in Philadelphia and the town that’s been supporting us," says Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson.
"The fact we are out here in the community - Philly is so special. I don’t know if this could be possible anywhere else, the magnitude of it, the amount of people that have gotten together," says former offensive lineman Jason Kelce.
The last stop on the operation was Alliance for Progress Charter School, who were more than ready to meet and get into the holiday spirit with their Eagles.
"It’s truly amazing to celebrate the holidays with the Eagles," says one student.
Another student said, "I was happy, this is my second time meeting a football player."
"When you play for the Eagles, you realize how much this city is connected. I think they had this big dream that we could pull it off because they know what it’s like playing for the Eagles. I know what it’s like. This team, these guys, the people who live in this city, we knew we could all come together to do something special for all these kids," says former linebacker Connor Barwin.
And from the looks of it, that’s exactly what they did. Operation Snowball took the proceeds from the ‘Philly Specials’ Christmas album sales and made sure every student in the School District of Philadelphia got a gift.