2020 Community Relations Recap
A full recap of all the work the 2020 Giants did in the community
Giving
2020 Giants Community Relations Recap
Pandemic Outreach
Eli Manning donated his Super Bowl MVP Corvette for the Fanatics All-In Challenge to provide meals to children during the COVID-19 Crisis.
Michael Strahan donated "A day in the life of Michael Strahan" for the Fanatics All-In Challenge to provide meals to children during the COVID-19 Crisis.
Giants Legend Tiki Barber donated a chance to be a co-host on CBS sports with him for the Fanatics All-In Challenge to provide meals to children during the COVID-19 Crisis.
Saquon Barkley donated four tickets, four pregame passes, a dinner at Rao's after a home game, and a workout the next morning to the Fanatics All-In Challenge to provide meals to children during COVID-19 Crisis.
Daniel Jones announced the Giants donation of an exclusive gameday experience to the Fanatics All-In Challenge to provide meals to children during COVID-19 Crisis.
Giants Legend Justin Tuck donated a two-day VIP Notre Dame experience with him to the Fanatics All-In Challenge to provide meals to children during COVID-19 Crisis.
The Giants and Saquon Barkley gave back to health care workers during SAPs “Take your Child to Work Day” virtual experience. Pete Guelli, Giants Senior VP and Chief Commercial Officer, surprised two frontline health care workers with an exclusive Gameday package ad Saquon Barkley hosted a virtual workout for families.
Giants Legends and Giants Owners auctioned off a chance for a fan, and their friends, to play a game of backyard touch football, eat dinner together, take a group picture and get their own Super Bowl ring to benefit the Robin Hood Foundation
Eli Manning surprised a frontline healthcare worker during a Mother's Day special tribute
Golden Tate partnered with GENYOUthNow to encourage people to donate meals for children.
Nate Solder and his family made a $1 million donation to Compassion International
Saquon Barkley teamed up with the Pepsi and No Kid Hungry campaign to encourage people to donate funds to provide meals to children.
Dalvin Tomlinson joined fellow Alabama Legends for a livestream fundraising event with Chat4Good. The proceeds benefitted the Remain to Reach Foundation, LDF and Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
Evan Engram joined Special Olympics of New Jersey to run a virtual fitness class
A Giant Hero
The New York Giants named four winners for the "A Giant Hero" campaign, presented by Quest Diagnostics, an initiative intended to celebrate frontline workers for their efforts during the coronavirus pandemic. Each person selected for this honor has proven to be a true hero in their community when they were needed most, making them all Giant Heroes.
Chappy Manzer
Megan Costello
Ryan Cook
Donna Faulborn
Giants Super Bowl LV Healthcare Heroes
The New York Giants selected four local healthcare heroes to attend the Super Bowl LV in Tampa Bay in 2021. These guests from Hackensack Meridian Health and Quest Diagnostics were invited in recognition of their unwavering commitment to their community throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Initiatives
Team of Teams
The Giants players and coaches split themselves into nine teams and each team was paired with an organization in a dedicated region within New York and New Jersey. After several conversations regarding the issues that most affect the residents of those areas, the teams selected initiatives and worked alongside their community partner for the season. Through the Giants Inspire Change grant, each organization was awarded $20,000 to support the work they are doing in our community. The Queens Mets and Far Rockaway Colts work was voted as most impactful by the Giants organization and granted an additional $20,000.
Staten Island Rangers
The Staten Island Rangers supported RISE in their mission to increase civic engagement by spreading the word about voter rights, registration and education in Staten Island, N.Y.
Bronx Yankees
The Bronx Yankees partnered with the Bronx Defenders to transform how low-income people are represented in the justice system and transform the system itself.
Brooklyn Nets
The Brooklyn Nets partnered with United Way of New York City's EducateNYC program to support educational equity in Brownsville, Brooklyn.
Paterson Globetrotters
The Paterson Globetrotters joined forces to personally mentor Eva's Village clients experiencing poverty and substance use disorders and provided funding for meals.
Newark Red Bulls
The Newark Red Bulls joined forces with Covenant House New Jersey, located in Newark, to support homeless youth through education, employment and financial literacy.
East Orange Devils
The East Orange Devils partnered with the Mayor's office of East Orange, N.J. to support the public schools and families in need.
Queens Mets
The Queens Mets teamed up with the NYPD-led Far Rockaway Colts to improve police-community relations and education through youth football in Far Rockaway, Queens.
Manhattan Knicks
The Manhattan Knicks partnered with the New York City Police Foundation, an independent, non-profit organization founded to help advance public safety and improve the quality of police services in New York City.
Westchester Islanders
The Westchester Islanders partnered with My Sisters' Place and the Mt. Vernon (N.Y.) High School Football team to promote racial equity in education.
New York Giants Touchdown Fellowship at John Jay College of Criminal Justice
This scholarship is designed to provide New York Football Giants Fellows with context for discussing and understanding the criminal justice reform movement, its policy challenges and excelling as a leader in the field. The scholarship provides five (5) fellows with a $10,000 grant which covers their senior year tuition as well as an internship stipend in the criminal justice field. The Giants goal is to support and encourage tomorrow's leaders.
This NFL campaign, carried out by each of the 32 NFL clubs, works to encourage early detection and risk reduction of screen able cancers.
American Cancer Society
Dalvin Tomlinson joined the American Cancer Society's NYC United Against Cancer Virtual Event on October 1st for a conversation that highlighted inequalities in healthcare and the work that the Crucial Catch program has done to provide funding and cancer screenings in communities of need.
Tackle Kids Cancer
Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC), Eli Manning and the New York Football Giants have literally "teamed up" to Tackle Kids Cancer. This exclusive charitable partnership, a first of its kind for the New York Giants, has raised a tremendous amount of awareness while creating opportunities for fundraising for pediatric oncology research amounting to over $10 million.
Tom Coughlin Jay Fund
The former Giants head coach started the Tom Coughlin Jay Fund in 1996 to help families tackle childhood cancer by providing financial, emotional, and hands-on support. Over the years, the New York Giants have formed a strong partnership with the foundation and have hosted families affected by childhood cancer, for a VIP training camp experience, Sundae Blitz ice cream social, as well as at Giants home games.
The Tom Coughlin Jay Fund honored Eli Manning with the Giants of Compassion Award, for being a tremendous advocate for childhood cancer and his work with Tackle Kids Cancer at Hackensack Meridian Hospital, at their Champions for Children Virtual Gala.
Salute to Service
Each year all 32 NFL teams honor military members through a year-round effort to honor, empower, and connect our nation's service members, veterans, and their families.
Alumni James J. Peters VA Medical Center visit
Giants Legends Stephen Baker, Ottis Anderson and Sean Landeta were joined by Graham Gano and Cam Fleming to meet with Veterans from the James J. Peters VA Medical Center for a Zoom call where they tested Veterans on their knowledge of Giants trivia and showed appreciation for their service to our country.
Wounded Warrior Project
- Wayne Gallman and Oshane Ximines met with service members from WWP for a Zoom call to engage in conversation and show appreciation for their service.
- On Veterans Day, Giants players Blake Martinez, Darius Slayton, Dalvin Tomlinson, David Mayo, Julian Love and Adrian Colbert participated in a virtual gaming event with members of WWP.
- Giants Legend Markus Kuhn joined WWP to participate in the Honor Ruck March at the New York Vietnam Veterans Plaza.
STS Award
Salute to Service Award Nominee
- Michael Strahan was named as the New York Giants 2020 USAA Salute To Service Award Nominee for his incredible work with Merging Vets and Players (MVP) which connects retired military veterans to retired athletes to help with their transitions.
My Cause My Cleats celebrates the positive impact that players have in communities across the country and provides players across the league with an opportunity to highlight the cause-related work that they are passionate about. The New York Giants are fortunate to have a majority of our players participate in My Cause My Cleats.
This award recognizes an NFL player for outstanding community service activities off the field as well as excellence on the field. Dalvin Tomlinson was named the New York Giants 2020 Walter Payton Man of the Year Nominee.
Play 60 is the NFL's national youth health and wellness campaign with the American Heart Association that encourages kids of all ages to enjoy active play for 60 minutes every day. Since 2007, the NFL has committed more than $352 million to improve youth health and fitness through Play 60 programming, grants and media time for public service announcements.
- Chad Slade joined fellow NFL Players Walt Aikens, Davon Godchaux, Raekwon McMillian and Kenyan Drake for a NFL Play 60 virtual field trip.
- Chad Slade and Xavier McKinney joined the American Heart Association of New Jersey and the students of Cedar Drive Middle School for a conversation on the importance of living an active and healthy lifestyle.
The United Way of New York City, New York Giants and EVERFI team up each year to educate middle school students on how to create and maintain healthy relationships through Character Playbook, a digital learning platform that educates students on understanding and managing emotions, communication, conflict resolution and decision-making.
- Lorenzo Carter, Oshane Ximines, Julian Love and Jackson Barton joined United Way of NYC and Everfi to lead two separate Character Playbook events with students from all over New York City. The players spent time discussing their own life experiences through the NFL's Character Playbook curriculum.
Lou Rettino High School Football Coach of the Week
The 2020 Coach of the Week, presented by Gatorade, recognizes a high school area coach selected by the Giants each week of the high school football season. The selection is based on the coach's continuing commitment towards promoting youth football, developing motivated student-athletes and overall community involvement. Each Coach of the Week winner receives a $1,000 grant to be used toward their football program and the Coach of the Year winner receives a $2,000 grant to be used toward their football program. The 2020 Lou Rettino High School Football Coach of the Year was Coach Benjie Wimberly of Paterson High School.
Coach of the Year
Week 1: Daniel DeMatteo-Yonkers Force
Week 2: Victor Chiappa- Yonkers Brave
Week 3: Rich Hansen- St. Peter’s Prep
Week 10: Mark Murray- Mt. Vernon High School
USA Football's Heart of a Giant award program, presented by Hospital of Special Surgery and the New York Giants, recognizes Tri-State area high school football players who demonstrate extraordinary character, perseverance and work ethic. Throughout the high school football season, coaches nominate players that exemplify these traits. This year 10 student-athletes were nominated as finalist each earning a $1,000 equipment grant for their school while the winner received an additional $4,000 grant.
The 2020 Heart of a Giant recipient was Yosue Gomez of Passaic County Technical Institute.
Appearances
Rookie Halloween
The New York Giants 2020 rookie draft class dressed up in their Halloween costumes to virtually visit with patients at Hackensack Meridian Health Joseph M. Sanzari Children's Hospital. Each of the patients and Giants players were set up with their own account on Caribu, a family video-calling app that integrates children's books and activities for an engaging experience between children and family members. Prior to their Caribu meeting, each child was sent a Giants Halloween themed goodie bag and candy was provided to each of the nurse's stations.
Special Olympics of New Jersey Snow Bowl
Each year the Giants participate as a sponsor in Snow Bowl, a flag football tournament benefitting Special Olympics of New Jersey. The three-day tournament features over 100 adult teams and raises over $500,000 for programs.
Nate Solder joined RISE and Giants Legend Tiki Barber to have a conversation about Equality vs. Equity.
Player Graduation Videos
- To recognize the accomplishments of 2020 graduates, Giants players created videos to pass along their well wishes!
Nonprofits
The New York Football Giants have had a longstanding relationship with Americares. During 9/11, Americares was one of the only local organizations that had the equipment needed to assist with the cleanup at the World Trade Center. It was then, the Giants recognized that their ongoing financial support was not only needed but being used to assist in the most significant and tragic circumstances. Over the years through tsunamis', hurricanes, and the recent pandemic, the team values the commitment that Americares has to the relief and development to saves lives and improve the health of people affected by poverty or disaster.
In 1977, Father Paul Sheridan, SJ, an educator in St. Louis, MO, created a new program—Boys Hope Girls Hope—to address the needs of children whose potential was threatened by shattered neighborhoods, distressed families, endemic poverty, and other factors beyond their control. In 1979, Father Sheridan reached out to New York Giants owner, Wellington Mara and together they founded the New York Metropolitan area Boys Hope Girls Hope to provide educational resources to children in need.
BHGHNY serves its scholars through a boarding program model—the only one of its kind in all of New York. At its most rudimentary level, BHGHNY's work is an effort to rescue children and to provide them with an environment that celebrates academic achievement and promotes service to others as the bedrock of community-building and the actualization of self-worth. It is important to note that 100% of these high school students are accepted into four year college institutions with an average of 85% of them receiving full tuition packages.
Each year at the BHGH Annual Visions Of Hope Fundraising dinner there is a presentation of the Ann and Wellington Mara Award. This award is presented to an individual who has made outstanding contributions to better the lives of those less fortunate. The honoree has been a giant in the world of charitable and philanthropy giving and has dedicated himself to the betterment of the community.
The Community Food Bank of NJ fights hunger and poverty by distributing food and groceries, providing education and training, and making new programs to help people with low incomes meet their basic needs.
- Throughout the 2020 season, the Giants and players contributed funding to provide those in need with meals.
- Giants defensive backs Julian Love, James Bradberry, Adrian Colbert and Ryan Lewis made a contribution to the Food Bank for NYC to provide prepared Thanksgiving meals, turkeys and pantry bags at the Community Kitchen &Pantry in West Harlem for families facing hunger
- The Giants and Stop and Shop teamed up for their annual food drive to support the Food Bank for New York City. Online shoppers were able to make a donation while buying groceries and raised over $8,000. Every dollar donated provided 5 meals for those in need.
- The Giants proudly support the efforts of the Make-a-Wish Foundation through granting the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions.
- For years the Giants participated in local events with the Meadowlands Y without Walls; programs that were executed at local schools and community centers throughout southern Bergen County.
- In 2017, after years of fundraising and local support, the Y Without Walls moved into a beautiful state of the art facility in eye view from MetLife Stadium that is now known as the Meadowlands YMCA. Recognizing the need for reliable, and trustworthy childcare, the Mara Family committed to being involved with the creation of an early education program at the new YMCA. Through the Snowflake Foundation, a foundation created in support of the Giants hosting Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium, the building of the Mara Center for Early Childhood Learning within the Meadowlands YMCA began. Today, the Mara Center provides a positive atmosphere that nurtures and instills age appropriate learning. The programs focus to develop each child socially, emotionally and creatively, while providing a lifelong love of learning. The Mara Center for Early Childhood Learning is an asses to the entire Meadowlands Community.
The New York Giants and My Sister's Place have worked together since 1997 with the goal of providing support to victims of domestic violence and human trafficking throughout the Northeast.
The Giants are proud to support the Newark Bronze Shields in their efforts to invest in the people of Newark. The team is an annual sponsor of the Bronze Shields scholarship fundraising dinner and participates in several community events with the organization each year.
Rock and Wrap it Up!, a national, non-profit organization that collects all prepared but unserved food from stadiums and concerts for distribution to local shelters, helps to eliminate hunger and thereby reduce poverty.
- During the pandemic, the Giants donated 1,888 pounds of food = 1,573 meals to Covenant House NJ and New Jersey Emergency Services
San Miguel Academy of Newburgh provides young men with an all-encompassing education to break the cycle of poverty and provide them with opportunities for their future. The program, now in its 15th year has proven to be of huge benefit to one of the poorest and most dangerous communities in the state of New York. The late Ann T. Mara was a strong supporter of the academy. The Mara family along with the Giants have continued to follow in her foot steps and assist in the great work that San Miguel does in community.
The Giants recently contributed $30,000 to San Miguel in an effort to help SMA rebuild their rowing facilities. A unique sport for an inner city middle school, the rowing program began as an opportunity to introduce these students to private high schools with row teams. The school is on the banks of the Hudson River in Newburgh, NY and provides a great backdrop for these boys to participate in a sport that will provide them with academic and athletic opportunities in their future.
Sandy Hook Promise (SHP) is a nationally recognized above-the-politics organization that supports sensible program and policy solutions that address the “human side” of gun violence by preventing individuals from ever getting to the point of picking up a firearm to hurt themselves or others. Through ongoing financial support, the Giants have recently been able to assist SHP, in funding local SAVE Promise Clubs.
Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE) Promise Clubs, established and led by students, are a powerful approach to preventing gun and other forms of violence. Through more than 2,300 SAVE Promise Clubs nationwide, SHP gives young people the skills they need to protect their peers, training and empowering a generation of young people to be upstanders and create safer schools and communities.
The New York Giants are proud to work with Special Olympics of New Jersey to provide children and adults with the opportunity to participate in sports.
- For over two decades, The New York Giants and United Way have worked together to help improve the communities throughout the Tri-State area. Some of the projects that have been created through this partnership are Character Playbook, the Gridiron Gala, and the Touchdown for Teens Ticket Program.
The Giants have benefitted from a partnership with Vera Institute over the past few years that has allowed players to learn first-hand about topics and current issues related to the criminal justice system. The goal of the Vera Institute of Justice is to build and improve justice systems that ensure fairness, promote safety, and strengthen communities.
- In 2020, the entire Giants team of players and coaches met with the Vera Institute to discuss their efforts on criminal justice reform.
YCS provides housing to children in foster care and offers an array of nurturing therapeutic, and life skills teaching residences for children, teens and young adults with emotional/behavioral health challenges, developmental and intellectual disabilities.
- This year, Giants players and staff made their own contributions to YCS to provide a holiday party, gifts and pajamas to children living in group homes all throughout New Jersey.
Teamwork
New York Giants employees volunteer opportunities
- Each month, Giants employees participate in outreach opportunities to learn about and support our local community.
Giants Legends
The Giants Legends Community
- Alumni Internship Program: 2020 marked year number "3" of the Giants Alumni Internship Program. With the average NFL players career being in the area of 3 to 4 years, John Mara recognized the fact the majority of the players who were no longer in the league were most likely not set up to succeed in the "real world". Even if by chance, they had completed their college degrees, the majority of NFL players have never participated in a college internship where they would be exposed to practical work experience for their post NFL careers. With this is mind, John created a program where former/retired players can work at the Giants in a number of different departments that they may find interesting. The program has been a huge success with these players going on to complete their college degrees, work as an Assistant Principal along with discovering that we had a graphic - artist in the mix.
- Alumni Appearances: Most players do not hail from the NY area. However, many of our players remain in the area at the conclusion of their on the field careers as the opportunities for a post football career in the metropolitan area are endless. With that in mind, we are able to provide endless opportunities to our alumni through sponsor driven appearances, local community appearances as well as business opportunities.
Honoring Giants Legends
- Under Coach Judge, each week during the season, our Scout Team honors our Hall of Famers and Ring of Honor Members by choosing a Legend's jersey that they would like to honor. (Pictured: Colt McCoy wearing Frank Gifford's No. 16 jersey)
Matthew Swensen/New York Football Giants
The Giants Women's Club was founded in 2014 as the team's official female fan club. By joining The Giants Women's Club, members have the opportunity to attend exclusive events, receive numerous deals and discounts and enter contests to win great prizes. And it's free to join!
- During the 2020 season, Giants Women's Club members from all over the country had the chance to participate in a virtual Workout Wednesday event and virtual Chalk Talk event with Giants Legend, and two-time Super Bowl Champion, David Diehl.
Support
The Giants Foundation was created with the goal of assisting organizations dedicated to tackling important community issues, improving overall health and empowering our youth. Launched in 1993 as the nonprofit organization of the New York Giants, the team is committed to the Foundation's focus areas as a way to provide financial assistance to those in need throughout our community.
At certain Giants home games at MetLife Stadium, The Giants Foundation may host a 50/50 Raffle. Fans over the age of 18 may buy raffle tickets. One lucky fan will win half of the raffle jackpot (as defined in the Official Rules and applicable law) when the winning number is announced during the fourth quarter. The remainder of the jackpot will benefit The Giants Foundation and its charitable activities.