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By Jenn McGrawShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberOn a brisk Giving Tuesday night at the corner of Spruce and South Broad St., former Eagles legends gathered at Steak 48. Hosted by Chris Long and Connor Barwin, the dynamic pair celebrated their third year hosting the Team Dinner fundraiser.
Since its inception, Team Dinner has been an annual event collaboration between Long and Barwin, uniting Philadelphia for a night of camaraderie at a premier steakhouse and fine dining restaurant.
Long, who spent two of his 11 seasons in Philadelphia, and Barwin, who spent four of his 10 years in Philadelphia, clearly know a thing or two about Brotherly Love, despite being on the Eagles' roster for a short time.
Inspired by team dinners off the field, this fundraiser provides vital funds to Make The World Better and The Chris Long Foundation, supporting their shared mission to strengthen communities, stand up to inequity, and create opportunities for kids to thrive.
Read More: Eagles’ Jalen Hurts Debuts ‘My Cause, My Cleats’ Pair Created Alongside CHOP Patients
Guests enjoyed a red carpet experience, where they got to meet Long and Barwin, as well as be interviewed by 94.1 WIP’s Devan Kaney and CBS 3’s Pat Gallen.
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Though he was only here for two years, and one of them winning a Super Bowl, Long never strays too far from the genuine community within Philadelphia.
“[There’s] just a lot of real people around here. You can't BS them, which I really like, and they're passionate about football. And the fact that I left here and felt like people respected what I brought to the table — that means the world to me. That’s why I play the game.” Long said.
As the 2018 Walter Payton Man of the Year, Long launched his foundation in 2015 with the mission of inspiring athletes and fans to advance access to clean water and educational equity. His Waterboys initiative funded 139 deep-borehole wells in Kenya and Tanzania, providing clean water to over 590,000 people in the U.S. and East Africa.
In 2021, Long launched EdZone, an initiative that works to partner with elementary schools in Charlottesville and Philadelphia to distribute quality books and hygiene products, setting kids up to be comfortable, confident and successful in the classroom.
“It makes a big difference when the kids walk into school with holes in their shoes, no winter coat in the winter, or no hygiene products — young girls with no toothbrush, no deodorant — school supplies. These are the things that I think of as basically like shoulder pads and a helmet. I couldn’t take the field without that.” Long said.
Read More: Eagles' Nick Sirianni Doubles Down on Coaching Decision After Loss to Bears
...Barwin founded Make The World Better Foundation in 2013 with his mother, Margaret, during his first season with the Eagles. Their mission is to connect people and inspire stewardship through revitalizing public spaces. The organization believes that communities prosper when people have access to high-quality spaces for recreation, sports, and arts-based activities.
With MTWB, Barwin has been able to invest over $30 million into four park revitalization projects in Philadelphia, including the Vare Recreation Center (Grays Ferry), Smith Playground (West Passyunk), Waterloo Playground (Kensington), and Ralph Brooks Park (Point Breeze).
“We’ve finished four capital projects, but I’ll never forget the first one we did — Ralph Brooks Park.” Barwin said.
“That project couldn’t have been more organic. I discovered it by riding my bike to practice every day, made a phone call, and people showed up. I met a lot of people through the process, and we partnered with the community to rebuild their vision of what they wanted their public space to be," he continued.
Among those in attendance for the cause were Seth Joyner, James Bradberry, Ron Jaworski, and Vinny Curry, among others.
And when you have all these athletes from different cities coming to Philadelphia, you know it’s real.
“Two different players who play for two different teams in the organization, and you see where they’re at. Ain’t nothing like Philadelphia,” Curry said.
“It’s really about pouring into the kids,” Long said. “They’re like blank canvases — you can be whatever you want to be, and we just want to reinforce that reality.”
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