Saturday, June 18, 2016, NFL stars and twin brothers, Jason and Devin McCourty, are hosting their annual Tackle Sickle Cell 5K Run/Walk in Liberty State Park in Jersey City, N.J. This event is the major fundraising component of their Tackle Sickle Cell Campaign, which aims to educate the public, increase blood donors and raise money and awareness for the fight against sickle cell disease.
For the third consecutive year, the twins have taken this opportunity to combine their charitable efforts with their competitive spirit. They have each set up their own fundraising team for the 5K Run/Walk to see which brother can raise more money for the Tackle Sickle Cell Campaign—Team J-Mac versus Team D-Mac!
Two years ago, Devin won the competition and Jason had to travel to Foxboro, Mass. and dress up as the New England Patriots mascot, “Pat Patriot.” Last year, Jason won and Devin had to purchase a billboard in Boston publicly announcing his defeat.
So what’s at stake this year? The loser has agreed to dress in a Halloween costume of the winner’s choosing this Oct. 31. If you’d like to support Team J-Mac visit http://bit.ly/2016TeamJ-Mac, and to support team D-Mac visit http://bit.ly/2016TeamD-Mac. To register and/or donate, please visit TackleSickleCell.org/Events.
The Tackle Sickle Cell Campaign is a partnership between the McCourty twins and Embrace Kids Foundation, a 501c3 nonprofit located in New Brunswick, N.J. that assists families whose children have sickle cell disease. Their goal is to address and support spiritual, emotional and financial issues of the kids and their families. All programs and services are free to families and include emergency financial assistance, individualized tutoring, counseling and inspirational events and holiday parties. The proceeds from the Tackle Sickle Cell 5K Run/Walk will be used exclusively to provide college scholarships, emergency financial assistance and educational programming/seminars to families whose children have sickle cell disease.
The McCourty twins were football standouts at Rutgers University before moving on to the NFL. May 7, 2016, they were both inducted into the Rutgers University Hall of Distinguished Alumni, the highest honor the university can bestow upon an alumnus/a. Created in 1987, the Hall of Distinguished Alumni recognizes alumni who, through their superlative achievements in professional and civic life, have brought honor to themselves and to the university.
In addition, the twins also received some individual accolades. This year Devin McCourty, a safety for the New England Patriots, was nominated for the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year Award for the second consecutive year, and in December of 2015, he received the Champion Award from Boston Children’s Hospital for his dedication to supporting kids and tackling sickle cell disease. Jason McCourty, a cornerback for the Tennessee Titans, was a finalist for the 2015 Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award and was nominated for the NFL’s 2014 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.
For more information, visit TackleSickleCell.org, which contains facts and statistics on sickle cell disease as well as instructions on how the public can get involved. Be sure to follow @TackleSC on Twitter and join the conversation by using #TackleSC.