NEW YORK GIANTS LEGEND ELI MANNING AND HACKENSACK MERIDIAN HEALTH FOUNDATION CELEBRATE THE TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF TACKLE KIDS CANCER, A BOOMING INITIATIVE THAT’S RAISED MILLIONS IN FUNDS FOR CRITICAL RESEARCH AND CARE PROGRAMS. TODAY, THE EFFORT TO FIND A CURE PRESSES ON
BY ERIK SCHONING
For great athletes, legacy goes far beyond memorable plays on the field. It’s been five years since Eli Manning hung up his cleats after 16 seasons with the New York Giants, but the two-time Super Bowl champion continues to make a lasting impact on the New Jersey community. Today, he’s the captain of a different team: Tackle Kids Cancer, a sweeping initiative with Hackensack Meridian Health Foundation to raise crucial funds for pediatric cancer research and care programs for the state’s most precious patient population (lauded as the MVPs, “Most Valiant Patients”). In the ten years since the program’s launch, Tackle Kids Cancer has raised an incredible $30 million in the steadfast fight to find a cure for childhood cancer.
INDUSTRY caught up with Manning during a busy day at Hackensack Meridian Health, where he was filming a social media campaign for Tackle Kids Cancer. Pediatric oncology is a heartbreaking and challenging field, but Manning has always brought a relentless positivity and energy to his activism.
“It’s been an unbelievable ten years,” Manning said. “I’ve had the opportunity to work with so many kids. I’ve met their families and siblings, and I’ve gotten to see the progress we’ve made. Many of these kids are now graduating high school. But you also have the stories of those who did not make it, and that’s what drives me and everyone here at Hackensack Meridian Children’s Health to keep working. We’re going to do whatever we can to make sure that everyone survives pediatric cancer.”
Manning’s legacy as a leader in this cause has deep roots. While Manning was still suiting up on Sundays, he was connected to the leaders and care teams at Hackensack Meridian Health through a partnership with the Giants. At the time, Manning was looking for ways to give back to the community. As a parent himself, Tackle Kids Cancer was the perfect opportunity to show up for his New Jersey neighbors battling pediatric cancer, a disease that takes a carefree childhood off the table for too many.
“I think back to my own childhood: it was fun and it was easy,” Manning said. “It was playing sports, going to school, being with family and friends. Whenever I would hear a story about someone going through pediatric cancer, it just hurt me: it’s not fair, it’s nothing these kids did. So I started making visits to the hospital, trying to lift spirits. But that wasn’t enough; I wanted to do more. I asked myself how I could rally the community to help these kids get healthy and better? That’s when I decided I wanted to be a part of this program.”
Eli Manning’s My Cause My Cleats
As the TKC Team Captain, Manning is the face of HMH’s efforts to raise funds for groundbreaking research, clinical trials, and in-hospital support for patients and their families, including the Sibling Support Program, along with ongoing support for survivors through the first-in-the-state Cure & Beyond Program. Tackle Kids Cancer was founded on the idea that no one should face cancer alone; every pediatric cancer patient at the hospital is a TKC MVP – before, during, and after active treatment.
Only a small percentage of the national budget goes toward the fight against pediatric cancer; Manning and the TKC team know that this fight involves all of us. Tackle Kids Cancer was built on the philosophy that anyone can join in the effort. In its inaugural year, scout troops, schools, and youth sports teams all raised money for TKC. Inspired by this grassroots effort, Manning launched Eli’s Challenge, a donation matching program to bolster the mission and prove that any donation, no matter how large or small, will make an impact. In the last ten years, those who have undertaken Eli’s Challenge, whether through bake sales, online fundraisers, or in-person events, have raised millions of dollars for the cause.
For his part, Manning has long been leveraging his platform to put Tackle Kids Cancer in the spotlight as much as possible. During this year’s New York City Marathon, a TKC team took the course, and there will be a spotlight on TKC during this year’s Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting show.
During Monday Night Football’s ManningCast with Peyton and Eli, Manning has the opportunity on a national stage to further celebrate the inspiring survivors he has gotten to know over the years through the NFL’s league-wide My Cause My Cleats initiative.
“In this program, either someone battling cancer or a cancer survivor gets to design the cleats,” Manning said. “We have them design the cleats, and then I’ll wear them on Monday Night Football. It’s been a really special program. Even though I’m retired from the game, I think it encourages more and more players to get involved.”
The fight against pediatric cancer is still ongoing; while there have been significant breakthroughs in the last ten years, the reality is that there is still much heartbreak, struggle, and suffering for patients and their families. But thanks to scientific breakthroughs, including those taking place at two donor-funded research laboratories at the Hackensack Meridian Center for Discovery and Innovation (CDI), as well as access to more than 100 clinical trials at the organization’s two Children’s Hospitals, there have been joys and successes, too. As Manning and HMH look forward to the next ten years of Tackle Kids Cancer, Manning is confident that for all the children he has met and will meet, there are better days ahead.
“The ultimate goal is to have a lot more success stories,” Manning said. “That’s the mindset and that’s what we’re working towards: better research, more trials, better answers, and faster treatments to get more kids in and out of the hospital and back home to their families and friends. I’m so proud of the work that we’ve done, but we’re not satisfied yet. There’s so much more to do.”
As the face and driving force behind Tackle Kids Cancer, Manning is still writing his legacy. But for the football legend and everyone at Hackensack Meridian Children’s Health, the children are the real MVPs. It’s their victories that matter, and it’s in their honor that TKC keeps up the fight, entering a second decade on the front lines in the battle against pediatric cancer.
“The ultimate goal is to have a lot more success stories. That’s the mindset and that’s what we’re working towards.”
Tackle Kids Cancer