A Steelers legend helped spread holiday joy on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Jerome Bettis and his Bus Stops Here Foundation delivered gifts around the Pittsburgh area, stopping in multiple communities.<\/p>\n
Channel 11 crews caught up with the Bus in Carnegie at the Boys and Girls Club, an organization he has deep ties to.<\/p>\n
Chris Watts, president and CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of Western Pennsylvania, says Bettis himself was a \u201cclub kid\u201d when he was growing up. <\/p>\n
\u201cThat experience never left him,\u201d Watts said. \u201cAnd so, of course, during his time with the Steelers, in ways big and even behind the scenes, he supported the Boys and Girls Clubs here. And despite his incredible professional career, after his playing career, he still cares about Pittsburgh people and comes back often, and his foundation truly cares about the community, and he\u2019s stepped up in so many ways.\u201d<\/p>\n
Watts noted that the Boys and Girls Club has partnered with Bettis\u2019s foundation to develop a new cyber bus<\/a>, which would act as a classroom on wheels. That project is set to launch in the spring.<\/p>\n Bettis said his goal with the toy drive and community celebration was to give kids a great holiday.<\/p>\n \u201cI remember as a kid, Christmas was a very important and pivotal part of the year,\u201d he said. \u201cSo, to celebrate it, to get gifts and all those things, it means so much. So we want to provide just a little bit of joy at this time of the year, and we really believe that it will make a huge impact.\u201d<\/p>\n Tiana Ballinger of Carnegie said the celebration was \u201cvery special\u201d to her and her kids. She\u2019s a \u201cbig Bus fan\u201d and appreciates the Boys and Girls Club, which has helped her kids make friends and kept them active.<\/p>\n Download the FREE WPXI News app<\/a> for breaking news alerts.<\/p>\n Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook<\/a> and Twitter<\/a>. | Watch WPXI NOW<\/a><\/p>\n TOP STORIES FROM CHANNEL 11 NEWS <\/p>\n \u00a92025 Cox Media Group<\/p>\n