Inside the NFL Films studio in New Jersey, approximately 40 children from the Philadelphia Children’s Alliance and their families attended a holiday event hosted by The Philly Specials, a singing group formed by Philadelphia Eagles players Jason Kelce, Lane Johnson, and Jordan Mailata.
The event was organized as part of Operation Snowball. This year, instead of releasing a new Christmas album, the trio sold plush dolls featuring their likenesses and used the proceeds to fund this gathering. The evening included music, games such as freeze tag and limbo with the players, appearances from SWOOP and characters like SpongeBob SquarePants and Strawberry Shortcake, as well as an early screening of the new SpongeBob Movie.
“It’s always been bigger than us, man. It’s always been about giving back to the community, to the kids,” Mailata said. “It hasn’t been about the singing, as good and as fun as it’s been. It’s always been about how can we help someone else. How can we enrich the lives of our youth in Philadelphia? That’s what it’s been about.
“Today, I guess it’s a combination of all the albums that we put together and just putting on something fun, something light-hearted for the kids that they can enjoy. We didn’t come out with the album this year, so this is just our way of giving back to the community again, this year, on a smaller note. Something more intimate. It’s one of those ways we’re giving back because it’s always been bigger than us.”
Lane Johnson spoke about his motivation for serving local communities: “It’s everything,” Johnson said about serving the community in Philadelphia. “When I was a young player, I saw Connor [Barwin] kind of take action really early on in his career to take on helping the community. He kind of extended his whole idea to us, and it’s grown to what it has become, but it’s all been with love and a lot of fun and trying to help as many people out and putting smiles on people’s faces.”
Connor Barwin played an important role in organizing The Philly Specials’ activities by producing albums and managing events while players focused on football responsibilities. Last year he helped distribute toys throughout Philadelphia’s public schools.
“I didn’t think we would even raise enough money the first year to pay for making the record and then we raised a million dollars,” Barwin said. “I had no idea [we would make it here], but it’s a credit to those guys, them making great music. It’s a credit to Philly and the community around football and the city, people coming together around this. I mean, there’s so much positivity around this project that people want to be involved and these guys want to continue to do something.”
The Philadelphia Eagles have long engaged fans both locally in Pennsylvania and nationally through games in the National Football League (NFL), media efforts such as news coverage or special events like Operation Snowball at NFL Films studios in New Jersey according to their official website. The team began playing professionally in 1933 after acquiring rights for its inaugural season and continues today with activities that include entertainment offerings beyond football—such as merchandise sales—and outreach initiatives aimed at engaging supporters across various communities on both local and national levels.
