7-year-old cancer patient Shane McCooe is a football super-fan. Shane, a local New Jersey resident currently in the first-grade, is a chicken nugget connoisseur and a lover of all things monster trucks. Eli and Shane agreed that despite being an obsessed football fan, Shane may even be a little more knowledgeable about monster trucks than football.
Shane shared a heartwarming moment with Eli Manning, discussing their love of football, a little about Shane and a fun game of trivia. Shane had Eli autograph his football card to add to the other quarterback cards he owns.
Eli handed Shane gifts from The Children’s Place. While an appreciative Shane opened the boxes, they chatted about Shane’s 5-year-old sister, who Shane said “she turned into a Packer fan, I don’t know why.” Shane also admitted to being an Xbox and Nintendo gamer, and that he likes to play with his across the street neighbor.
After all the gifts were open, Eli said to Shane “You’ve got a great attitude and it’s been fun getting to know you, and I look forward to hanging out with you again” (to which Shane agreed).
“It is so meaningful to be able to give back to the kids of Tackle Kids Cancer, and I’m honored to be able to do so alongside a brand like The Children’s Place that values community efforts,” said Eli. “Getting the chance to see Shane and hear his story was really special.”
Alfred P. Gillio, M.D., Director of the Hackensack University Medical Center Children’s Cancer Institute, said “Pediatric cancer is the number one cause of death by disease in children, yet is highly underrepresented when it comes to government funding. We are so proud of our longstanding partnership with Eli Manning, our Tackle Kids Cancer captain, and our newly formed partnership with The Children’s Place to continue our efforts to raise awareness and donations for pediatric cancer research.”
ABOUT Tackle Kids Cancer:
Tackle Kids Cancer is a philanthropic initiative of Hackensack Meridian Children's Health to raise money for pediatric cancer research and patient care programs at Joseph M. Sanzari Children's Hospital and K. Hovnanian Children's Hospital. Donations made to Tackle Kids Cancer directly benefit the essential clinical care, unique support services and groundbreaking cancer research needed to find a cure. Since its launch in September 2015, Tackle Kids Cancer has raised more than $20 million in funds. Visit www.tacklekidscancer.org for more information about Tackle Kids Cancer.
ABOUT The Children's Place:
The Children’s Place is the largest pure-play children’s specialty apparel retailer in North America. “Children are at the heart of everything we do at The Children’s Place, and to have the opportunity to give back and bring smiles to the hundreds of children and families was incredibly meaningful,” said Maegan Markee, Senior Vice President, Marketing at The Children's Place. “Eli is not only an incredible football champion, but also an amazing father and philanthropist. He embodies the winning spirit we hope to instill in every child. We are thrilled to have continued our partnership with Eli on this special day in giving back to our community, together.”
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