Four Jaguars players – tight ends Pete Mitchell, Kyle Brady, Chris Luzar and Joe Zelenka – along with tight ends coach Tony Sparano, have pledged up to $13,000 to help the Wolfson Children's Hospital complete the purchase of a new ambulance for its Kids Kare neonatal/pediatric transport team. The ambulance is expected to arrive in January.
The equipment in the unit, designed specifically for infants and children, and the ability to safely transport very sick children while being able to monitor them, is critical. The players have pledged $100 for every catch and $500 for every touchdown they score this season to help fund the purchase. Through 14 games, as a group, they have raised $8,700 based on 57 catches and six touchdowns.
Each month, Wolfson's transports about 50 critically ill newborns and medical/surgical pediatric patients, bringing them to an from its Level III (highest) Neonatal Intensive Care Unit or its Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.
"Wolfson's, the area's only children's hospital, is valuable to our community," says Mitchell. "My teammates and I are proud to be able to help Wolfson's reach as many children as possible, as early as possible, through these on-the-field donations."
