Jermaine Eluemunor gave back to the Las Vegas community at Christmas time as a Raider in 2023. So he was determined to spread holiday cheer in New York and New Jersey, as well, after signing with the Giants.
That led to a partnership with Tom Coughlin’s Jay Fund Foundation to create a magical evening on Dec. 17 for 50 children battling cancer at the Target in Clifton, N.J.: ‘Jermaine’s Night of Giving’ holiday event.
Eluemunor, about 10 of his teammates and some of their wives chipped in to give each child a $150 Target gift card and a personalized shopping experience alongside the NFL players.
“A big thing for me is to give back,” Eluemuor said just before Christmas. “A big dream of mine has been to have my own foundation, but I don’t have the things in place to do that yet. So to be able to work with the Jay Fund and give back in that way – and be around all those amazing kids and see their smiles and get to meet their parents and the people that helped from the Jay Fund – it was awesome.”
Eluemunor was determined to get involved with the community in the Tri-State area after signing with the Giants as a free agent in March.
In November, he hosted a Thanksgiving meal giveaway and passed out meals to 150 families, including several military veterans, at the American Eagle Food Pantry of Northern New Jersey.
Then he and the Jay Fund collaborated to launch this inaugural holiday giving event that also included a catered dinner and exclusive event T-shirts for the kids.
Center John Michael Schmitz and tackles Andrew Thomas and Joshua Miles were among the teammates to join in spreading the Christmas cheer and hosting the special shopping experiences.
Eluemunor had participated in a similar event last year in Las Vegas, working alongside the Candlelighters Childhood Center Foundation of Nevada. And he was grateful to find the Jay Fund as willing partners to continue giving back at this time of year.
“Last year in Vegas I had an event like this where I worked with an organization who helped with cancer patients and funding those families,” he said. “So for me to get to work with the Jay Fund out here and have it be Tom Coughlin’s organization was great for me.”
The mission of Coughlin’s Jay Fund Foundation is to help families tackle childhood cancer by providing financial, emotional and practical support.
Eluemunor said the event couldn’t have been more rewarding, not just in the moment but in the days after as parents reached out to express their gratitude.
“Just seeing kids smile and have fun, then to get on Instagram and have the parents reach out and say how much it meant to them,” Eluemunor said. “I don’t need no credit, no nothing. But to have the parents get back to me and tell me how much it meant to them – and how much they care and appreciate it, and how happy they were and how much they were smiling all night – that was huge.”
