| Type | Non-Profit |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1996 (Jacksonville) |
| Founder(s) | Tom Coughlin, Dr. Mike Joyce |
| Headquarters | Jacksonville, Florida, United States |
| Area served | Greater Jacksonville Metropolitan Area New York metropolitan area |
| Key people | Keli Coughlin, Executive Director |
| Website | http://www.tcjayfund.org/ |
The Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Foundation, also known simply as the Jay Fund, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established in 1996[1] and devoted to assisting "children with leukemia and other cancers and their families by providing emotional and financial support to help reduce the stress associated with treatment and improve their quality of life", according to the foundation's mission statement.[2]
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During Coughlin’s first year coaching football at Boston College, one of his players, Jay McGillis, contracted Leukemia. During Jay’s seven-month fight with the disease, Coughlin visited the young man often and observed the financial and emotional toll inflicted on the McGillis family. Jay died on July 3, 1992, but his indomitable spirit, courage and compassion inspired Tom Coughlin to create an organization to assist families with a child suffering from leukemia. After Coughlin moved to Jacksonville in 1994 as head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, he began talking with people and making plans to create a foundation.
The first fundraising effort was a celebrity golf tournament in early May, 1996 which was well attended and became an annual event. That success enabled the fund to expand their outreach to families of children with any form of pediatric cancer, not just leukemia. The 10th Annual Jay Fund Celebrity Golf Classic was held May 1st & 2nd, 2005. The dinner, silent auction and golf tournament raised over $210,000.[1]
A wine-tasting event was added for Jacksonville in March, 2005 and became a yearly attraction.
Jay's parents, John and Pat, have been included in the Golf Tournament every year. Their presence helps to connect the participants to the charity that honors their son's memory. Coughlin telephones the couple on holidays, Jay's birthday and the anniversary of his death. They are staunch defenders of the coach. According to Pat McGillis, "Whenever I see something negative about Tom Coughlin, I get so upset. I say, 'You don’t know Tom Coughlin. You have no idea what Tom Coughlin is like.'"[3]
When Coughlin was dismissed by the Jaguars after the 2002 season, there was concern for the future of the Jay Fund by several physicians at Wolfson Children's Hospital and Nemours Children's Clinic.[2] They worried that with the departure of the high profile coach, corporate sponsors might shift their support to other causes.[4] After he was hired as head coach of the New York Giants, Coughlin allayed those fears by pledging continued support for the fund and promising to keep the foundation in Jacksonville. Contributions actually increased in Jacksonville.[2]
In October, 2004, the coach created a Jay Fund branch in New York City. The initial "Pigskin Ball" was held September 9, 2005,[1] and the first three such events provided a total of over $1 million to the charity.[5] The 4th annual event themed, “Champions for Children”, was staged on September 12, 2008 and the Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Foundation[6] received in excess of $700,000 from tickets, contributions and a silent auction.[7]
As of early 2008, the fund had disbursed in excess of $2 million while assisting over 1,000 families of children with cancer.[4]
A capital campaign designated, "Now and Forever" was begun in March, 2008. The goal was a $5 million endowment for the fund, which would provide $250,000 per year in perpetual funding to ensure the future of the charity. Keli Coughlin, executive director of the foundation, who happens to be Tom's oldest child, stated:
This campaign for the endowment is an insurance policy of sorts. It's a backup plan to make sure there will always be funds to help these families. We are providing them with things no one else is doing and quite frankly, these families would be left without a safety net.[4]
The 13th Annual Jay Fund Golf Tournament was May 5th, 2008 and generated $260,000. The endowment campaign was almost over; they were close to reaching their goal.[3]
The 5th Annual Wine Tasting Gala was held March 6, 2009. According to the Florida Times-Union, the "event is (now) considered among the best of it’s kind in the Jacksonville area".[8] More than 100 wines from all over the world were sampled; local eateries provided tasty tidbits; celebrities mingled while live music was played; a silent auction of unique items attracted a steady stream of bidders[9] and proceeds of over $150,000 went to the fund.