The Jessie Rees Foundation is honored to have support from professional athletes and Olympians such as Clay Matthews, Kaitlin Sandeno Hogan, DeMarco Murray, and Carson Palmer. Recently, the Alliance of American Football has brought football back to San Diego with the Fleet.
The Alliance of American Football has its own message of never ever give up, which aligns perfectly with our mission! In addition, Fleet quarterback Mike Bercovici has been a supporter of Jessie’s Never Ever Give Up motto since he was an athlete at Arizona State. With the stars aligned, we couldn’t wait to get Courageous Kids on the field to be encouraged and have a day where they didn’t have to think about their cancer diagnosis.
“The second I was assigned to (the Fleet), they were excited to get out to a home game and they’re an awesome group,”Bercovici said. “They’re an incredible foundation. They do some amazing stuff.”
A group of Courageous Kids attended the Fleet’s game against Salt Lake on March 9 and had the opportunity to meet their new heroes, led by Bercovici, on the field before the game. The kids’ were on the sidelines during warm-ups, taking pictures, shaking hands and getting autographs from the players.
Cory Tomlinson, manager of Programs & Sports Engagements at the Jessie Rees Foundation said, “This league is giving them the opportunity to say, ‘Hey, I’m never ever going to give up. I’m going to keep working hard and have chances to make an impact with my character.’ And people like Mike are choosing to give of themselves and give back to kids fighting cancer, to encourage them to do that as well.”
Thank you to the San Diego Fleet for an incredible experience for Courageous Kids!
