On Wednesday evening, Steve Jolley, Ryan Meara, Brian White and Tim Parker met with families living at the Ronald McDonald House in New York City via videoconference for a virtual game night experience.
Meara, White and Jolley shared their thoughts on Wednesday night’s experience and the club’s 11 Days of Service Community Initiative:
“Every year when this time of year comes around, and the club goes out and does these 11 Days of Service, I think it's incredible. A lot of clubs and organizations talk a big game, but here at Red Bull we really back it up with our community outreach. I think it's incredible as a player from a player standpoint, it's very cool. To be part of an organization that you know is out in the community, just trying to make things better for others. It's one of the many things that makes this club special that we just don’t talk a big game here, with these 11 Days of Service and so much more that the club does throughout the year, we actually, at Red Bulls, we act on things and really try to make a difference.”
“I just want to help, put a smile on people's faces, we have the platform as professional athletes. There's people that look up to us, so anytime we can give back and really just hang out with people sometimes and have a couple laughs. Different people are going through different things in their lives, so we're very fortunate to be in the position that we are in as pro soccer players, so anytime we get the chance to give back a little bit in any way, shape, or form, I think it's something that I always enjoy doing and I know, speaking for the rest of the guys on the team, everyone really does enjoy doing it, and it's nice to put a smile on people's faces.”
~ Ryan Meara
“So last night, we had a great opportunity. When I say we, me, Brian White, Tim Parker and Ryan Meara had an opportunity to be involved and engage with philanthropy at the Ronald McDonald House, and I gotta tell you we had a great time. We had a game night, and we spent 45 minutes to almost an hour, just with the families and the players doing some Q&A, having some games with it, trying in the best of our ability to make light of a difficult situation for them. I gotta tell you, there were some pretty good high points. The best and probably the one that we ended on most was when we had Brian White make elephant noises. So we'll just leave it at that.”
“I'm only going to speak on behalf of myself. I don't want to speak on behalf of the players or anything like that is that we're all going through a difficult time right now, and some more so than others. In any capacity for even 45 minutes I can bring some kind of laughter and enjoyment to the kids who are involved with the Ronald McDonald House right now, I'm going to do it. I learned when I played, and it was an invaluable lesson from somebody, that person will go nameless, gave me an advice that kind of stuck with me for the rest of my life, and it simply is this -- It's amazing what kind of impact you can have in a person's life by simply showing that you care. And through 45 minutes to an hour of last night, all I was trying to do is just show people, tell them a little bit about myself but more importantly show them that I cared about them and I cared about their situation and realize that if I can bring some laughter, enjoyment and allow even the players themselves to lighten up a little bit with everything that we're going through, then I'm going to do it.”
~ Steve Jolley
“It's obviously different [virtual game night experience] because you don't have that person to person contact, you still get to see their faces, you still get to see them smile, but it's not the same natural kind of interaction you get in person. It's a little bit different, but in the circumstance we are in now it's the best we can do, and I think everyone kind of embraced it for what it was and had a good time with it.”
“Yeah, to be involved in a club that really puts the onus on giving back to the community, going out and doing volunteer work, it's great to be involved in something that's influencing me, especially after a visit with the Covenant House. I decided to get more involved with that, and I think that kind of just shows you the culture and the nature of this club, the people involved in it. I’m very proud to be part of the New York Red Bulls, and the way we give back to the community.”
~ Brian White
