Sports stats



MLS New York Red Bulls

New York Red Bulls Players and Pediatric Patients Virtually Design Posters to Mark Five-Year Anniversary of Tackle Kids Cancer

November 13, 2020 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
New York Red Bulls News Release


Harrison, N.J. - New York Red Bulls players and pediatric cancer patients from Hackensack Meridian Children's Health Children's Cancer Institute will unveil virtually designed posters in honor of Tackle Kids Cancer's fifth anniversary of raising awareness and funding for pediatric cancer patients. Hackensack Meridian Health is the Official Hometown Hospital of the New York Red Bulls.

For the third consecutive year, players and patients of Joseph M. Sanzari Children's Hospital at Hackensack Meridian Hackensack University Medical Center and K. Hovnanian Children's Hospital at Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore Medical Center have been paired up for the creative endeavor. Due to COVID-19, the program has successfully pivoted and is utilizing the mobile application Caribu, an app where kids can draw, read, and play games on a video-call for players and patients to virtually engage and design inspirational posters for players to showcase in a special place of their choice.

In addition, TCL, the Official Smartphone and Tablet Partner of the New York Red Bulls, has generously donated 40 TCL TAB tablets to patients at Joseph M. Sanzari Children's Hospital. The tablets will allow pediatric patients to stay connected to loved ones, access entertainment and games, and assist in telehealth needs.

Red Bulls Captain Sean Davis and patient Liam will be paired together again to design boots and Liam designed a new poster for Sean. Last year they partnered to design a boot that triggered an ongoing personal relationship between the two.

"The New York Red Bulls were one of Tackle Kids Cancer's first partners," said Helen A. Cunning, senior vice president, network development, foundation, Hackensack Meridian Health. "The wonderful work they do in support of Tackle Kids Cancer has helped us raise awareness and funds for pediatric cancer, and their involvement brings such joy to our patients and their families. They have visited patients, sponsored events and fundraisers, and provided exciting experiences, like the design of inspiring posters. We remain truly thankful for their generous support of Tackle Kids Cancer. We are also very grateful to TCL for their kind donation of tablets to our patients, which will provide them respite and fun amid therapies and treatments."

"TCL is proud to be part of this great cause with the New York Red Bulls and Tackle Kids Cancer," said Joel Sawyer, Director of Marketing for TCL Communication, North America. "In the midst of the current pandemic, we hope that offering tablets will help with any digital gaps to keep patients connected to loved ones and their healthcare providers, and to grant an opportunity for patients to create and virtually design posters and cleats with their favorite players."

"Our youngest patients at Hackensack Meridian Children's Health Children's Cancer Institute are undergoing challenging circumstances," said Judy Aschner, M.D., physician-in-chief, Joseph M. Sanzari Children's Hospital and Hackensack Meridian Children's Health. "This opportunity for our patients to virtually design posters for players provides them with an outlet in which they can express their creativity and share a special experience with sports heroes from the New York Red Bulls that they will always remember. We are so proud of all that Tackle Kids Cancer has accomplished over the last five years, and remain grateful for our partnership with the New York Red Bulls."

"We are extremely proud to honor the fifth anniversary of Tackle Kids Cancer, an amazing initiative our club has supported through our loyal marketing partner, Hackensack Meridian Health," said Marc de Grandpre, General Manager, New York Red Bulls. "We applaud the collaborative approach in pivoting to a virtual platform so that the pediatric cancer patients had the opportunity to closely work with our players in order to create such vibrant and creative artwork for a poster."

Caribu is an interactive video-call app with a library filled with activities such as reading, drawing, art activities and games for children to enjoy with their friends and families. It helps people connect from anywhere in the world by engaging in child-friendly shared screen experiences. Caribu will be donating subscriptions of its service to each of the patients that created posters to stay connected with their loved ones and enjoy fun virtual activities together from a distance.

Tackle Kids Cancer, launched in September 2015, is a philanthropic initiative, which raises funds for pediatric cancer research and patient care programming at Joseph M. Sanzari Children's Hospital and K. Hovnanian Children's Hospital. Dedicated clinicians and researchers are making strides by advancing research and providing children access to the highest level of care. One hundred percent of all donations made to Tackle Kids Cancer benefit the essential clinical care, unique support services, and groundbreaking pediatric cancer research needed to find a cure.

Check out the New York Red Bulls Statistics



Major League Soccer Stories from November 13, 2020


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central