Twin brothers and NFL cornerbacks, Jason & Devin McCourty have partnered with Embrace Kids Foundation on a campaign against sickle cell disease. The campaign, entitled “Tackle Sickle Cell” aims to educate the public, increase blood donors and raise money & awareness for the fight against sickle cell disease.
In January 2013, Embrace Kids launched the website www.TackleSickleCell.org which contains facts and statistics on sickle cell disease as well as directs the public on how they can get involved. There will also be a number of events including three blood drives on February 23, 2013 and a 5K Run/Walk in Liberty State Park in Jersey City, NJ on June 9, 2013.
Jason & Devin McCourty were football standouts at Rutgers University before moving onto the NFL where they are both currently starting cornerbacks. Devin plays for the New England Patriots while Jason plays for the Tennessee Titans. They’ve done everything together their entire lives, so it’s no surprise that they’ve joined forces with their charitable efforts. “We have seen first hand the devastating effects of Sickle Cell on family members and we are choosing to use our platform to help families in similar situations,” said Jason. “This is something very personal to us, we can’t wait to get started and we’re thrilled to be working with Embrace Kids Foundation,” added Devin.
Embrace Kids Foundation is a 501c3 non profit located in New Brunswick, New Jersey, just minutes from where Jason & Devin McCourty starred as collegiate football players at Rutgers University. Embrace Kids Foundation offers programs and support services for over 200 sickle cell families. Embrace Kids believes Sickle cell disease is becoming the forgotten disease and they want to bring more attention to the illness in hopes of increasing fundraising and awareness and gaining the philanthropic support it deserves. More than 80,000 Americans are affected by sickle cell disease, and a significant number of those affected are African-American children.
The campaign planning, strategy, and execution is being handled by Lunar Sports Group.
For more info on the Devin & Jason McCourty: Follow them on Twitter @McCourtyTwins or on Facebook at http://www.fb.com/JasonMcCourty or http://www.fb.com/DevinMcCourty
For more info on Embrace Kids Foundation visit: www.EmbraceKids.org