The Browns Backers Worldwide (BBW) is the official fan club of the Cleveland Browns Football Team. It is considered one of the largest organized fan clubs in all professional sports, with members and clubs established throughout the world. The BBW exists as a non-profit organization to actively support and positively promote the Cleveland Browns. Chapter #299 is the Lake Erie Islands Put-in-Bay Browns Backers, located at Put-in-Bay, Ohio (South Bass Island), is a non-profit organization with governing bylaws.
The Put-in-Bay Browns Backers currently have 98 members and were named “Club of the Year” in 2007. Our club headquarters is located at Tipper’s Restaurant at Put-in- Bay, Ohio. We encourage a family-oriented atmosphere while welcoming Browns fans of all ages, from all areas and orientations, while raising funds to donate to local charities and scholarships within the Lake Erie Islands area as well as nationally.
Every year the Put-in-Bay Browns Backers donate to four local scholarships, and the club has its own $1,000 scholarship that goes to a senior attending Put-in-Bay High School. Additional support goes to Put-in-Bay Volunteer EMS and Fire Department; Put-in-Bay Arts Council, Back to the Wild, St. Paul’s Food Pantry and/or Discretionary Fund, Island Safe Harbor Animal Sanctuary, Ottawa County Kids for Christmas, and the Cleveland Browns Foundation (dedicated to taking a solution-based, holistic approach to ensure NE Ohio youth receive the development and education they need as a foundation for independence and success).
In the past, the Put-in-Bay Browns Backers have also donated to Chestnut Mountain Ranch, a non-profit organization helping boys and families in crisis located in West Virginia; Glen Haven Colorado Relief fund to help repair roads after a flood that left many people homeless; Perry Group; Mother of Sorrows Ball Diamond; Middle Bass Island Town Hall Fund; North Bass Church Fund; Put-in-Bay Daisy Troop; and the Toledo Firefighters Fund. We have fundraisers throughout the year, including the Draft Day 5K that takes place on Saturday of Draft Day Weekend. We host tailgate parties throughout the football season at various locations with a 50/50 raffle and boards. If you would like to join or learn more about this club, which is not only about the game but about the community and the world we live in, please attend our annual meeting on February 5 at 4:30 p.m. at Tipper’s, or contact Secretary Kelly Mohn
