Retired Green Bay football player Gilbert Brown will visit 20 Wisconsin campgrounds this summer and fall as part of a fundraising effort supporting children through the Gilbert Brown Foundation.
Brown, known as “The Grave Digger,” said the campground appearances play an important role in generating resources for the foundation’s charitable work.
The nonprofit organization has raised funds for more than 150 children’s charities since its establishment in 2005 and provides assistance to families facing a range of hardships.
“It’s our fundraising events that help us generate the resources we need to make a difference in the lives of children who need help,” Brown said in a press release.
According to the foundation, support provided to families has included gas cards, access to summer football camps and funding for life-changing surgeries. Brown’s campground appearances serve as a key component of the organization’s fundraising activities.
The tour will run from June through early October and is being coordinated by the Wisconsin Association of Campground Owners. During the events, Brown plans to meet campground guests, participate in games and sign football memorabilia.
Some appearances will also feature former Green Bay football players Santana Dotson, Dorsey Levens, Leroy Butler, Antonio Freeman and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, depending on availability. Brown said the events are designed to combine fundraising with entertainment for campground visitors.
“We always have fun whenever we’re together,” Brown said.
The tour begins June 13 with stops at Pine Grove Campground in Shawano and On The Rocks Family Campground in Gresham.
Additional June appearances include Champions Riverside Resort in Galesville on June 19 and a series of visits on June 20 to Emrick Lake Campground & Resort in Oxford, Lake Arrowhead Campground in Montello and Grand Valley Campground in Dalton.
Brown will continue the tour June 27 at Deerhaven Campground in Waupaca before resuming appearances Aug. 1 at Red Barn Campground in Shell Lake, Chetek River Campground in Chetek and Rock Lake Grill & RV Resort in Bloomer.
Other scheduled appearances include stops at Rivers Edge Campground in Stevens Point, Kinney Lake Campground in Marion, Stoney Creek RV Resort in Osseo, O’Neil Creek Campground in Chippewa Falls, East Bay Lodge in Lake Holcombe, Lakeside Fire Campground in Nekoosa, Fox Hill RV Resort & Campground in Baraboo, Milton KOA in Milton and Wishing Well RV Resort in Fort Atkinson.
The fundraising tour concludes with Legends Weekend, scheduled for Oct. 9-11 at Champions Riverside Resort in Galesville.