Kerry Collins removed his football helmet and put on his charity cap today to once again help the Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine.
The Giants quarterback presented a $170,000 check to Carl Willemin, the Vice President for Hospital Operations for NYU Hospitals Center. The money is a portion of the $500,000 Collins has pledged to the help renovate the 35-bed Pediatric Inpatient unit at the Rusk Institute. Since joining the Giants in 1999, Collins has made the pediatric program at Rusk one of his primary charitable endeavors. Collins, who makes frequent visits to Rusk, raised $100,000 ($57,000 of his own and $43,000 from corporate contributions) to build the Kerry Collins Computer Center and Classroom at the Rusk Institute in Manhattan.
Collins has pledged to donate $5,000 for each touchdown he throws or runs for, as well as $5,000 for each Giants victory. Last season, Collins threw 24 touchdown passes (including five in the NFC Wild Card game) and the Giants won 10 games.
But Collins is not stopping there. Today he announced that he will host the inaugural Kerry Collins Foundation Celebrity Bowl-O-Rama on July 12 and 13.
On Saturday, July 12, Collins will host "Kerry's Bowling Ball," which will feature dinner, dancing and auctions of sports memorabilia, plus a comedy performance by Saturday Night Live alumnus Jim Breuer.
The following day, Collins will host his Celebrity Bowl-O-Rama at AMF Wallington Lanes in Wallington, N.J. Many of the Giants players and coaches are expected to attend, as are members of Jon Bon Jovi's band. All proceeds from the dinner and the Bowl-O-Rama will go to the Rusk Institute, one of the country's finest pediatric rehabilitation facilities. In addition, Collins will again donate $5,000 for each touchdown and each victory in 2003.
"We're going to refurbish the entire pediatric wing of the Rusk Institute," Collins said. "The goal is to raise $500,000. Between the ($5,000) incentives from last year, the bowling event and the incentives from this year, we hope to get to that."
Fortunately, the Rusk Institute relies more on Collins' throwing ability than his bowling skills for much-needed funds.
"No, I'm not a good bowler," Collins said.
For this important event, he doesn't have to be.
Jun. 4,03