The Tom Coughlin Jay Fund has been honored over the years to have so many champions spreading the word about our mission to BE THERE for families tackling childhood cancer. However, we could never have done anything or helped anyone had it not been for the impact of Jay McGillis, and because of him, we’re excited to announce that 2014’s first #JayDay is coming!
Throughout 2014, we’re asking Jay Fund friends, fans, supporters, and recipients to take to their favorite social media outlet and post about the Jay Fund, using hashtag #JayDay. Our goal is to use every #JayDay to honor Jay’s impact and legacy, as well as spread the word about the Jay Fund’s mission and provide an opportunity for others to BE THERE for all the wonderful, courageous families out there who need help.
As most Jay Fund supporters know, Jay McGillis was diagnosed with leukemia while playing for Coach Coughlin at Boston College. Jay put up a valiant fight over the course of his eight-month battle, and he became a catalyst for Coach Coughlin to find a way to help other families tackling childhood cancer. Because of he and his family’s courage and strength, Jay eventually became the catalyst for the Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Foundation, which was founded in 1996.
Jay was much more than just a young man battling cancer, and that’s why the Jay Fund is introducing #JayDay. According to former defensive teammate and friend Tom McManus, “Jay was a perfect kid. Seriously, he loved his family and high school girlfriend, he never got in trouble, and he was a great player. I could always count on him on defense. And even after his diagnosis, he was still great. Teammates would come to visit him, and he would cheer them up. He really was the perfect kid.”
On the field in his #31 jersey, or off the field, Jay was a wonderful young man, and an inspiration to everyone who knew him. For these reasons, we are honoring him and his legacy with #JayDay. We hope you’ll take the opportunity on Friday, January 31st, to share a post about the Jay Fund including the hashtag #JayDay. We’d love it if you could include a link to our website, too, so people can learn more about our mission.
One other thing: there are a total of seven #JayDays this year – in January, March, May, July, August, October, and December. So if you’d like to plan a special #JayDay event on one of those 31st days of 2014, we’d love to work with you! Find out how to get started here.