Cliff Avril's annual party for Haiti draws a crowd
It's called "Dining to Make a Difference," and Seahawk Cliff Avril's annual event does just that for thousands a world away in Haiti.Cliff and teammates Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor, K.J. Wright, Earl Thomas, Jimmy Graham, and others gathered at Palisade in Magnolia to serve dinner to a restaurant full of guests.The benefit for the Cliff Avril Family Foundation raisef funds for Cliff's homeland, Haiti. His parents are from the island nation."I'm fortunate that I'm in a situation that I can give back," Cliff said. "And I'm trying to use my platform to do that."Dominican Nelson Cruz was also in attendance. The Mariner superstar says he and Cliff are "island brothers.""We know where we're coming from," Nelson said. "We know the needs. And we appreciate everything we have so far. And we can help."Like last year, Cliff also pledges to build a home for each sack he bags this season."And then there's people around the city of Seattle who pledged to do the same thing," Cliff said. "So last year we actually got to build 25 homes."By: Michael King | September 19, 2017
Behind-The-Scenes Footage From Cliff Avril's Humanitarian Trip To Haiti
Avril Making A Difference
https://youtu.be/DWTmFA5m5BM This past April, Seahawks defensive end Cliff Avril, who is of Haitian descent and embraces the nickname 'Haitian Creation,' embarked on his second consecutive offseason trip to the country of Haiti, where he and his foundation - The Cliff Avril Family Foundation - began the groundbreaking of a new school building, created homes built to withstand natural disasters, hosted health clinics, youth football camps, and more.
Avril recently shared a bit of behind-the-scenes footage from his journey on YouTube, which showcases his travels from Miami, Florida to Haiti and back with teammate Michael Bennett as well as current and former NFL players Marshawn Lynch, Stephen Tulloch, and more.Prior to the 2016 season and in the wake of Hurricane Matthew, Avril pledged to build a home in Haiti for every sack he recorded. He finished with a career-high 11.5 sacks and rounded up to pledge to build 12 homes in the country.You can check out behind-the-scenes footage from Avril's trip in the video embedded above.Seahawks.com - Wednesday, August 09, 2017