Broncos' Ayers Returns to His Jersey City Grammar School to Distribute Free Coats to Inner-City Kids

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Jan 28, 2014, 08:45 ET

Several Broncos coaches and players joined Knights of Columbus for charitable event

JERSEY CITY, N.J., Jan. 28, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- During this period of record cold in the Northeast, the Knights of Columbus and members of the Denver Broncos — in town for the Super Bowl — provided "Coats for Kids" to underprivileged children at a local Jersey City school.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140128/DC54586-a)

Defensive End Robert Ayers helps students pick out new coats on Jan. 28 at a Knights of Columbus Coats for Kids distribution at Sacred Heart School in Jersey City. Ayers attended this same school as a child. (PRNewsFoto/Knights of Columbus) (PRNewsFoto/KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS)

Members of the Knights of Columbus and Denver Broncos distribute free coats to kids at Sacred Heart School in Jersey City on Jan. 28. (PRNewsFoto/Knights of Columbus) (PRNewsFoto/KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS)

Broncos Defensive Tackle Terrance Knighton from Windsor, Conn. gives a student at Sacred Heart School in Jersey City a new coat during a Knights of Columbus Coats for Kids distribution on Jan. 28. (PRNewsFoto/Knights of Columbus) (PRNewsFoto/KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS)

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140128/DC54586-b)

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140128/DC54586-c)

The coats were given to the children of Sacred Heart School, the vast majority of whom come from low-income households and qualify for the school lunch program. Also supporting this event were Catholic Athletes for Christ and the Jack and Linda Del Rio Foundation.

Sacred Heart School serves a low-income, inner-city community. It also has an important link to Broncos Defensive End Robert Ayers, who was on hand Jan. 28 and formerly a student at the school.

In addition to Ayers, a number of other Broncos players and coaches — many with roots in the local area — were in attendance, including: Defensive Coordinator Jack Del Rio, along with his wife, Linda; Running Back Knowshon Moreno, who hails from Middletown Township, N.J.; Safety Mike Adams from Patterson, N.J.; Defensive Tackle Terrance Knighton from Windsor, Conn.; Defensive Line Coach Jay Rodgers; and Assistant Secondary Coach Sam Garnes from the Bronx.

The Broncos players and coaches were joined by a number of Knights of Columbus, including Supreme Knight Carl Anderson. Also participating were retired Mets All-Star Catcher Mike Piazza and Ray McKenna, president of Catholic Athletes for Christ.

"As an organization founded on the principle of charity, the Knights of Columbus is committed to helping our neighbors in need," said Supreme Knight Anderson. "We are grateful to Jack and Linda Del Rio, and to the other Broncos players and coaches who had taken time out of their busy schedule to assist us in helping local children during this cold winter."

The Knights of Columbus and members of the Denver Broncos previously joined forces in October to distribute coats to kids on a snowy day in Denver.

Launched in 2009, the K of C "Coats for Kids" program has already provided more than 170,000 new coats to children in need. More than 1,200 K of C councils participated in this program in the past year. For more information, visit www.KofC.org/coats.

The Knights of Columbus is the world's largest Catholic fraternal organization, with 1.8 million members in more than 14,000 councils. It was founded by Venerable Father Michael McGivney in New Haven, Conn., in 1882, with charity as its first principle. Last year, Knights donated $167.5 million and 70 million hours of work to charitable endeavors.

SOURCE Knights of Columbus