Downtown Jacksonville fundraiser featured Tom Coughlin as host, celebrity guests, 31 restaurants and over 225 wines from all over the world
Contact: Keli Coughlin, Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Foundation
904-543-2599 [email protected]
Jacksonville, FL (March 24, 2011) – Tom Coughlin and 800 celebrities, wine enthusiasts, gourmets, philanthropists and fun-loving friends helped the Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Foundation raise $200,000 for financial and emotional support of local Jacksonville area families who have a child battling cancer.
“This wine and food event get’s better every year and is a credit to so many who help put it together”, states Tom Coughlin. “It excites me to think about how much good the Jay Fund can do with the proceeds.”
Just the right mix of ingredients made the Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Foundation Wine Tasting Gala deliciously fun to attend. Southern Wine & Spirits of North Florida presented a fantastic selection of over 200 wines from all over the world for this gathering. Accompanying the libations were food tastings provided by some of Jacksonville’s favorites such as: Buddha’s Belly, Enza’s, French Pantry, Maker 32, Mojo Kitchen, Morton’s, TacoLu and III Forks. Platinum sponsors who made the event possible were: ABC Fine Wine & Spirits, Acosta Sales & Marketing, Baptist Health Foundation, Crawford Investment Counsel and Wells Fargo.
A child’s cancer diagnosis impacts the whole family. While the patient is battling for his/her life, the financial burden and emotional stress that go along with the disease are great. Costs of care are considerable. Family members may need to give up jobs to help out at home. Caregivers experience tremendous pressure. It is a monumental task to make daily family life as normal as possible. The Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Foundation has provided well over $3 million in grants to help those in this precarious situation.
The Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Foundation was created in honor of Jay McGillis. Jay was a very special young man who was a member of Coughlin’s team at Boston College and developed leukemia. The courage, compassion and faith he demonstrated during the course of his illness were an inspiration to many people. The mission of the Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Foundation is to assist children with leukemia and other cancers and their families by providing emotional and financial support to help reduce the stress associated with treatment and improve their quality of life.