Shop with a Jaguar releases the inner child in players, ROAR cheerleaders

At times you couldn't figure out who were the bigger kids on Dec. 15 at Academy Sports + Outdoors on the Southside: 100 children between the ages of 8 and 14 representing the Jacksonville Police Athletic League and the Sulzbacher Center , or the three full-grown members of the Jacksonville Jaguars  and a half-dozen members of the Roar of the Jaguars  whose job it was to serve as personal shoppers. 

Either way, it was a night of holiday fun at the annual Shop with a Jaguar event, thanks to the Jaguars Foundation and Academy Sports. 

The children, 75 from four PAL centers in Duval County and 25 whose parents recently were able to find housing after living at the Sulzbacher Center, each received a $150 gift card and were turned loose in the Academy Sports on Atlantic Boulevard to purchase gifts for themselves or their families. 

Jaguar players Travon Walker , Foye Oluokun  and  DaVon Hamilton and the Roar cheerleaders, plus about 30 Academy Sports employees and staff members of the Jaguars and the Jaguars Foundation , helped the kids shop, keep a total of how much was left on the gift cards and make tough decisions. 

For example, Austin Dunn of the PAL had a football and basketball picked out. Did he want to add a baseball to his shopping cart? 

After looking at a variety of baseballs and softballs of all colors, Dunn decided to save money for a pair of athletic shoes. 

"I like baseball but it's football and basketball season," he said. 

Caleb Wood had a cart loaded with athletic apparel and a basketball but was looking ahead to when he might need to re-inflate the ball. 

"I need an air pump," he said. 

Luckily for him, Academy Sports had them in bright colors and designs. 

Jaguars players find their inner child

At least one child took the personal shopping concept to a new level. Heaven Fuslier of the PAL drafted Roar member Lamia to help her, then relieved Lamia of her teal and black pom-poms and walked beside her, while Lamia pushed the shopping cart. 

"She's cheering me on," Lamia said. "I may not get those pom-poms back." 

The kids also got a gift bag with Jaguars apparel and merchandise. 

Interacting with the kids all night were Walker, Oluokun and Walker, who haven't lost the kid inside them. 

"I love seeing the smiles on their faces this time of year," Walker said. "A lot of people aren't fortunate to be able to get gifts for themselves, their parents or their siblings and being able to help them this joyous time of year means a lot to me." 

Oluokun agreed that being around the kids brought him back to his own youth. 

"I enjoy being with the kids because it makes me feel like a kid again," he said. "Walking around with them, shopping with them, trying to put a smile on their face, having them enjoy the night, it's really fun for me." 

Hamilton said some of the toughest decisions he sees is when they want to buy a gift for a parent or sibling. 

"Some of them come in and that's the first thing they're looking for, something for their mom or dad ... whoever," Hamilton said. "Seeing the smiles when they see what they want and get it for their loved ones is really what I do this for." 

Jaguars Foundation has sponsored event for 12 years

The Jaguars Foundation has sponsored Shop with a Jaguar for 12 years, with Academy Sports + Outdoors hosting one since 2023. There was another event at Walmart, across Atlantic Boulevard from the Academy Sports, for around 100 children from the MaliVai Washington Foundation and Level The Playing Field. 

Brian Snow, President of the Housing Division for the Sulzbacher Center, said the 25 kids from his organization have already had a positive holiday season with their mothers or other guardians able to leave the shelter and find housing. 

"The bulk of them have single mothers on fixed incomes and we've been able to get them out of homelessness," he said. "This is another opportunity to do something for their kids and have a Christmas they might have been able to afford. They were very excited about it on the bus coming here, both the shopping and getting to meet the Jaguars." 

Brooke Murski, the Academy Sports director of external communications, said the store's employees look forward to the night as much as anyone. 

"We have so much fun seeing the kids shop," she said. "And they really look up the Jaguars players and cheerleaders to help them."

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars Foundation sponsors Shop with a Jaguar for 12th year