Big-Game Giving
We’ve got football on the brain this week as our hometown team – the New England Patriots – heads to the Super Bowl. With discussion of the big game dominating everything from media coverage to office water cooler conversation, we thought we’d put our own Goodness in Action spin on it. In this week’s round-up, we’ll take a step back to examine some feel-good charitable stories related to the Big Game.
QB Memorabilia
The Boston Herald reports that a Tom Brady jersey (worn but not signed) has “racked up a $26,620 bid in the Super Bowl XLVI’s NFL memorabilia benefit auction,” which benefits NFL Charities. Reportedly, an autographed helmet worn by Eli Manning in 2008 when the Giants won the Big Game is only going for $5,500. No matter your team preference or which item scores the highest bid, I think we can all agree that these QBs are using their star power for a noble cause.
Super Baskets of Hope
The Super Baskets of Hope project was started in 1995 by the parents of a young girl who had cancer. Now the project’s hard-working volunteers have created about 7,000 gift baskets for hospitalized children in the NFL's 32 cities. On Monday, nearly 1,000 volunteers assembled baskets with items that offer children inspiration, entertainment, and hope. NFL players, coaches, and regional volunteers are delivering the baskets to children in hospitals nationwide. The Indianapolis Star reports it is the first project by a Super Bowl host city to reach across the country.
Blood Donor Wins Tickets
According to the Chicago Tribune, an Indiana woman who became a regular blood donor to repay the units used by her late husband has won a pair of Super Bowl tickets because of her generosity. The Indiana Blood Center hosted the Super Bowl ticket giveaway to encourage more people to become blood donors. The well-deserving recipient of the tickets won for donating blood at least four times in three months.
Remembering MHK
Myra Kraft, the wife of Patriots owner Robert Kraft, lost her battle with cancer before the start of the football season, but her charitable legacy is anything but lost. The Patriots dedicated their season to the late philanthropist, wearing a patch with her initials, MHK, on their uniforms. The Nonprofit Quarterly takes pause to remember how MHK rolled up her sleeves to make an impact. “Aside from raising money for numerous educational initiatives through the Kraft Foundation, Myra Kraft also served as the first female chair of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston and was the national chair for the United Jewish Communities General Assembly. She served on the boards of directors at the Boston Foundation, the United Way of Massachusetts Bay, Brandeis University, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and the American Repertory Theatre.”
Have you heard of any other Super Bowl stories focused on philanthropy? We’d love to hear about them in the comments section below.