For most people, a birthday celebration is a chance to enjoy your day, celebrate yourself, and just have fun.
For Cameron Heyward, it's not like that at all.
On Friday, Heyward will get to enjoy his birthday a little bit with his family, but on Thursday night he held a celebration that was about others.
Kids who don't have anyone to celebrate their birthday with.
"It's an opportunity for Cam, and for anybody, to look within and say I get the opportunity to celebrate my birthday, but how many people don't," said Charlotte Heyward, his mom and the executive director of The Heyward House. "He has so much fun with these kids."
Heyward hosted his annual 'Cam's Birthday Bash' at Dave & Buster's in Pittsburgh's North Hills, bringing smiles to kids in conjunction with his own The Heyward House and Beverly's Birthdays, a non-profit that provides birthday joy for kids who could use a boost.
"This is a chance to have that one-on-one time with the kids," said Heyward. "We get to shine the light on them.
"I like sharing my birthday more and more as I get older. It's taken on a life of its own. In the end, they are the focus. It's fun to have my teammates and I shine a light on them and just enjoy time together. Some of these kids don't get to have a lot of fun. This is providing a resource for them to kick back, relax and enjoy being around others. They get to be around some Steelers, but more importantly have a great experience and make sure they know people care about them."
Fun was definitely the word of the night. The kids got to enjoy dinner and a birthday cake from GiGi's Cupcakes. But even more, they enjoyed the gift of time given by Heyward and his teammates who all had a blast playing arcade games
"It gets pretty competitive. Nobody likes to lose, but those kids they are competitive," said Heyward. "My teammates are never ready for it. It goes back and forth. Sometimes my teammates aren't ready for it."
