New York, NY

Christmas came early for a few wonderful families from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital on December 13, 2011 at the Build A Bear Workshop on 5th Avenue in New York City. NY Giants Wide Receiver Michael Clayton and Aaron Ross hosted a red carpet “Cause For Celebration” event to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and didn’t hold back on any amount of fun.

In March 2011 St. Jude & Build A Bear Workshop developed a partnership, which allows kids of all ages to celebrate the milestones in their lives while supporting the lifesaving research and cutting-edge medical treatment conducted at the hospital. Milestones include completing their cancer treatment, being able to walk again, and going back to school. Before the event got started Michael took some personal time out to greet each and every family present. He also signed t-shirts from his Generation Next Foundation which aides local charities around Baton Rouge, Tampa Bay, and New York.

Dressed in a tailored suit and Xmas tree tie, the children from St. Jude Children Research Hospital were overjoyed by how entertaining Michael was before the night even got started. Aaron Ross was not too far behind, excitedly greeting guests and children as he walked into the Build A Bear Shop.


Many celebrities featured among the guests and attendees, and the Build A Bear workshop was close to capacity within the first hour of the event. The sea of famous faces included Melissa & Joe Gorge along with their children from Bravo’s Real Housewives of NJ, Meeka  & Speedy Claxton from season three of Vh1’s Basketball Wives, Grizz Chapman from NBC’s 30 Rock, Stephanie Pratt from MTV’s The Hills, Amber Collins, Miss New York USA, and Michelle Money & Graham Bunn from ABC’s Bachelor Pad just to name a few. Of course Clayton and Ross had the support of teammates Brandon Jacobs, Ramses Barden, Lawrence Tynes, and Kevin Boothe, who were present as well.  All of the Giants spent one on one time with the families making bears. Celebrities also made a number of bears and donated them to the families present at the event.

While guests waited for their turn to make a bear, Chef Brian of Artistic Event graciously delighted all with passed hors d’ oeuvres, while Hint Water, and Blueprint Cleanse kept us all feeling light on our feet.A musical performance by independent artist Duane Howard had kids and adults singing along to a few Christmas classics, while Michael danced with some of the children. Overall the event was a major success with guests praising Michael for his wonderful charitable spirit. All guests left with gift bags provided by a number of sponsors including but not limited to: Sephora, Cozy Cuts, Dasha Wellness, Victoria’s Secret, Kidz Bop, HINT, Bonnebelle, The Laundress. The Tesla Group is currently calculating the number of bears donated and is preparing to have them packaged to be shipped to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. For more information on St. Jude please visit www.stjude.org. To see more photos and find out additional information on Michael Clayton’s Generation Next Foundation please visit www.generationnextfoundation.com