DETROIT (CBS Detroit) – While he doesn’t look much like a jolly old elf, the Lions Mikel Leshoure will play one in real life Thursday evening as he makes holiday wishes come true for youngsters at the Boys and Girls Club of Southeastern Michigan.
At 5:30 p.m. Thursday at the Dick & Sandy Dauch Campus, he’ll sign autographs, share gifts for the club and bring a special guest – Santa! Leshoure, a running back, partnered with Kmart to grant the club 25 Christmas wishes.
As he wears the number 25 on the field, he is excited to grant 25 wishes off the field as well. “I grew up attending the Boys and Girl Club and I know how it can play a big role in kids’ lives. It was like a second home for me,” Leshoure explains in a press release.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan (originally the Boys’ Club of Detroit) provides high quality youth development programs, sporting activities, and a safe place where youth (ages 6-18) can spend their after-school hours engaged in supervised, structured activities that keep them out of trouble and on the path toward a bright future and successful adulthood. Over the years, more than 300,000 youth have been served by B&GCSM. For more information, visit https://www.bgcsm.org.
The Club’s wish list includes:
Wii games and accessories
PlayStation 3 games
Redecorating the ‘Teen Room’
Sports equipment for the gym
Refurbishing the pool tables
A color printer for the computer lab
In addition to granting the above wishes, Leshoure will also provide: a red velvet pancake breakfast catered by Hudson Café, a chicken and macaroni and cheese dinner catered by Fishbone’s Greektown, and of course, photos of each child with him and Santa.