As part of the 11 Days of Service community initiative, Speedway, Official Marketing Partner of the New York Red Bulls, and the club made a monetary donation to the Starlight Children's Foundation, which provided a Fun Center to youth at a local hospital as part of Speedway’s official partnership with the Children’s Miracle Health Network.
“I think that we're sort of in a time where any little thing can make a difference, and the way that Starlight Children's Foundation has been able to do that is to positively impact kids that are in the hospital,” said Christine Soldner, Director of Partnerships Starlight Foundation. “As a result of COVID, hospitals or communal spaces have been closed down to make sure that people are safely distanced, and so kids are in their hospital rooms more often than not, just as a safety protocol. The Fun Center that the Red Bulls have generously donated to Cohen Children’s is bringing entertainment to kids at their bedside. Bringing the sort of joy, entertainment and distraction that's really needed during this time for sick kids is really important.”
Although the club can’t visit the local visit, it made sure to still make an impact to the hospital’s patients by collaborating with Starlight Children's Foundation and Speedway.
“It's so nice to have Speedway as a continued partner of the New York Red Bulls, said Jamie Sussman, Senior Manager Marketing Partnerships. “We've been partnering with them for a couple years now, and working with them to help provide the resources we need in order to be able to do something like this, to give back to the community is really important. And even during these difficult times, we've been able to continue our relationship with Starlight Children's Foundation and give back to these kids staying in a local hospital.”
The kids in the hospital received club swag bags and a gaming unit that could be placed at the kids’ bedside.
“I think that partnerships are critical to sort of do the work that we do at Starlight Children's Foundation, and it's always really exciting to be able to partner with a sports team, especially for impacting hospitals in the New York area,” said Soldner. “Obviously, the kids that are in the hospitals, they’re the ones who are familiar with the teams in the New York area, and so all of the kids there received swag bags that you all sent to the hospital, in addition to the gaming unit that was funded. Just to see the look on the kids’ faces, to have these soccer balls, and all of this New York Red Bulls swag was really exciting for them to just feel like people care, care about the experience that they're having, and want to bring some joy to them during this time.”
