Giants Owner John Mara, Frank J. Bisignano, CEO First Data Corporation, to be Honored; Giants star players to attend “Champions For Children” Benefit
New York, NY (October 1, 2013) – The football Giants standouts Eli Manning and Victor Cruz are Super Bowl champions, but the lethal aerial duo are also “Champions for Children.” Manning and Cruz have signed up to assist their head coach by attending the star-studded Ninth Annual Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Champions for Children Gala on Friday night, October 25, at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City, it was announced today.
New York Giants Head Coach Tom Coughlin will host, and John K. Mara, President and CEO of the Giants, and Frank J. Bisignano, Chief Executive Officer First Data Corporation, will be honored for their civic leadership and community service contributions.
Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Foundation provides financial and emotional assistance to families of children with cancer. WNBC-TV Sports anchor Bruce Beck will serve as master of ceremonies.
The “Champions for Children” gala is open to the public. For ticket, corporate table and sponsorship information, call 212-627-1000 or email jayfund@resevt.com.
Many current and former New York Giants are expected to attend the event, which has raised over $6 million since its inception in 2005, Coughlin’s second year with the team. Player commitments will be announced in the coming weeks, as well as major auction items and packages.
The evening includes silent and live auctions, which are highlights of the evening and significant sources of revenue. The silent auction during the reception at 6:30 p.m. includes travel packages along with sports outings and memorabilia. Dinner begins at 7:30 p.m. with a live auction of once-in-a-lifetime experiences with high-end travel/accommodations.
This year, the gala hopes to raise $1 million to help families from the New York City area with emergency household expenses, funeral costs, gas and food necessities and hospital/clinic services as they deal with the emotional, financial and physical adversity of childhood cancer.
The Champions for Children Gala will begin promptly at 6:30 p.m. with a red carpet cocktail party and silent auction, followed by a formal sit-down dinner and live auction.
Following the event, the Giants hit the road to take on the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, October 27. The season opener is Sunday, September 8 in Dallas against the Cowboys.
About The Tom Coughlin Jay Fund
Founded in 1996, The Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Foundation was created in the honor of Jay McGillis, a member of the Boston College Football team who developed leukemia. Then-Boston College head coach Tom Coughlin was inspired by the courage, compassion and faith he and his family demonstrated during the course of his illness. It is the mission of The Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Foundation to assist children with leukemia and other cancers and their families by providing emotional and financial support to help improve the children’s quality of life and to help reduce the family stress associated with going through this crisis. This allows the families to focus on what matters most – the health of the child. The Jay Fund distributed well over $4.5 million in grants since its inception. New York-area non-profit partners are Friends of Karen, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, NYU Langone Medical Center, Overlook Hospital, St. Joe’s Hospital and The Valerie Fund.