Steelers outline fall community outreach including breast-health event, Make-A-Wish visits
The Pittsburgh Steelers detailed a slate of community activities spanning late summer and early fall, headlined by linebacker Alex Highsmith’s participation in Game Plan for Breast Health on Sunday at Woodlawn Park Plaza at Hazelwood Green, the team reported. The free event offered information on accessing free and low-cost breast cancer screenings, hosted education tables to separate fact from myth about prevention and treatment, and included a tribute to breast cancer survivors. The event was presented in partnership with the Alex Highsmith Family Foundation, the American Cancer Society and the NFL’s Crucial Catch/Intercept Cancer program, the team said.
Highsmith serves as the Steelers’ ambassador for the American Cancer Society and the Crucial Catch program, and the team said one team ambassador will be selected at the end of the 2026 season as its Ambassador of the Year, an honor inspired by the spirit of the Walter Payton Man of the Year award. The selection underscores the organization’s emphasis on player-led community initiatives tied to health, youth and social services. The team said the breast-health event was free to the public and intended to connect attendees with local providers and community resources.
The Steelers also hosted several Make-A-Wish guests and youth visitors during the stretch. Three-year-old Brooks Pilon, who was diagnosed with leukemia, attended a team practice on Sept. 25 with his family and will be the team’s guest for the Sunday game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Acrisure Stadium, the team said. Players met Pilon on the field, posed for pictures and signed autographs for the excited toddler. A 12-year-old fan, Levi Joyner of Florida, who is living with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, attended practice, broke down the team at the end of practice and ran through a player tunnel, and he will be a guest at the Steelers-Falcons game.
Defensive end Sebastian Joseph-Day led a community day at a Boys & Girls Club and hosted a pizza party for students, the team reported, citing the player’s ongoing work that includes a hometown backpack giveaway and a program called Bashing Hunger focused on food insecurity. Rookies visited the Best of the Batch Foundation to tour the facility, meet with Charlie and Latasha Batch and engage in activities with youth, providing both exposure to community work and memorable interactions for the children. Long snapper Christian Kuntz spent time with USA National Special Olympics athletes, offering encouragement and taking part in activities ahead of their participation in the 2027 Special Olympics World Winter Games.
Tight end Pat Freiermuth hosted the Annual Tee Up Fore Bundle-Up Mini Golf Classic at Puttshack Pittsburgh, an event the team said benefits Project Bundle-Up, a Salvation Army program that provides winter outerwear for children and seniors in southwestern Pennsylvania. Quarterback Mason Rudolph joined Freiermuth at the event, which the team said continues a player tradition of supporting local charities tied to basic needs and youth services. The team noted Project Bundle-Up was founded by the late Patricia Rooney and the late Joe DeNardo, a retired WTAE-TV weatherman, and that players have been consistent ambassadors for the program.
The Steelers participated in the 25th anniversary observance of Sept. 11 with approximately 500 volunteers at Acrisure Stadium who packed meals for local veterans as part of 9/11 Day, the team reported. Volunteers began with a moment of silence to honor victims and those affected by the attacks, and the meal-packing was part of the nonprofit’s hunger-relief effort. The team noted 9/11 Day helped establish Sept. 11 as a National Day of Service and Remembrance and involves tens of millions of Americans performing good deeds each year.
Back-to-school initiatives dotted the calendar, the team said, with Highsmith hosting an annual Back to School Bash that distributed backpacks, books and grab-and-go meals; Kuntz partnering with the Homeless Children’s Education Fund to take children shopping for school clothes; and safety Jaquan Brisker organizing a haircut event. The Steelers joined partners including the Pittsburgh Pirates and Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation for the 14th Annual Pittsburgh Public Schools Back to School event at Acrisure Stadium, where students received supplies, books and services. The team also held its annual Steelers Run and Walk to benefit the Art Rooney Scholarship Fund, announcing scholarship recipients JoLeene Condle, Tru Dobbins and Chris Koyo and noting the event supports local higher-education opportunities.
During training-camp and offseason weeks the Steelers hosted a range of community groups at practices and events, the team reported, including visits from the Mel Blount Youth Home, Casey Cares Foundation, Survivor Outreach Services, Homewood Children’s Village, Café Momentum and multiple local nonprofits. The team said these visits are part of an ongoing community relations program designed to engage youth, families and service organizations across the region. Team materials emphasized that hosting community groups at practices and events provides opportunities for direct interaction between players and residents.
NFL Sports Blog Take
The Steelers have translated offseason goodwill into a sustained campaign of community engagement that spans health screening access, youth education, food security and disability- and veteran-focused efforts. From Alex Highsmith’s breast-health outreach and the team’s ambassador program to multiple Make-A-Wish experiences, back-to-school drives and the large volunteer effort for 9/11 Day, the club has leveraged player platforms and local partnerships to address a wide set of needs in the Pittsburgh region. The breadth of events and the team’s partnerships with national and local organizations reflect a coordinated community-relations approach that the Steelers say will continue through the season and culminate in recognition of an Ambassador of the Year.