Giants quarterback Eli Manning has confirmed he will attend the eighth annual "Champions for Children" gala fundraiser benefitting Giants Head Coach Tom Coughlin's Jay Fund Foundation. The event is set for Friday night, October 12, at Cipriani in midtown Manhattan.
Manning led the Giants (1-1) to victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, passing for 510 yards and three touchdowns in the 41-34 win.
The Tom Coughlin Jay Fund helps families tackling childhood cancer by providing comprehensive financial, emotional and practical support. The funds raised at the "Champions For Children" gala will help lighten some of the burdens for families from the New York City area as they deal with childhood cancer.
Scores of current and former New York Giants are expected to attend the gala, which has raised over $6 million since its inception in 2005. Additional player/celebrity commitments will be announced in the coming weeks along with major donations and featured auction packages.
The players will host tables and interact with fans throughout the evening at Cipriani, located across the street from Grand Central Station. Fans attending the gala will give the team a sendoff for that Sunday's road game against the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park, a rematch of last year's NFC Championship Game.
The event 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 entertainment. WNBC-TV Sports anchor Bruce Beck will serve as master of ceremonies.
The event will honor Dick Ebersol, renowned television and sports executive, creator of "Sunday Night Football" and co-creator of "Saturday Night Live," and Curtis Arledge, CEO, Bank of New York Mellon Investment Management, for their civic leadership and community service contributions.
The "Champions for Children" gala is open to the public. For information about tickets, corporate tables and sponsorships, call 212-627-1000 or email jayfund@resevt.com. Details can be found at http://www.tcjayfund.org/.
About The Tom Coughlin Jay Fund
Founded in 1996, The Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Foundation was created in 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 has distributed over $4 million in grants since its inception.
For more information on the Tom Coughlin Jay Fund visit http://www.tcjayfund.org/.
