New York Giants star pass rusher Brian Burns intends to raise awareness about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) by co-hosting an annual celebrity softball game on May 30 at Clover Stadium in Pomona, upstate New York.
“I think it’s going to be an amazing event. Bringing everyone together to have a great day, but it’s also for a great cause. At the same time, it’s close to my heart because my nephew is diagnosed with [autism],” Burns told amNewYork on Wednesday.
The proceeds from this event are donated to a charity associated with the player. The Hype 4 Life Foundation, founded by Burns and his older brother Stanley McClover Jr., is the benefactor of this year’s event.
They were inspired to form the organization because McClover’s seven-year-old son is autistic and non-verbal. Their mission is to raise awareness about ASD and to support parents with autistic children.
“Spreading the word because there are a lot of families that don’t have the facilities or the resources to deal with the experiences they are having,” Burns said. “Going through the journey with my nephew and brother. Going to these events and hosting these events [that support] autism have opened my eyes to see that there are a lot of families that don’t really know how to deal with it.”
Part of the organization’s mission is to provide resources and support to these families by forming a support group where everyone helps each other. They also offer getaway events for parents of autistic children, who might be single or face some of the challenges that come with raising a child with ASD.
“Being an autism parent is a full-time job. 24/7 around the clock. Having this event allows them to relax and also connects them to a support group of guys they can call when they have issues that others have already gone through. They can help them out and point them in the right direction,” Burns added.
Joe Ruback, known as the License Plate Guy within the Giants community, has been the co-host of this celebrity softball game for the past 11 years. He first partnered with fan favorites such as Odell Beckham Jr., Landon Collins and Dexter Lawrence before joining forces with Burns.
“McClover and I became close because Stanley has a child with autism. I also work with autistic children, so we had that in common right off the bat. We talked about doing something, and I asked if Brian would like to team up with us for the celebrity softball game this year, and have Hype 4 Life be the benefactor. He was thrilled and over the moon,” Ruback added.
Burns already had a familiarity with this event because he had attended it the year before. The raised funds will go towards a major project McClover is working on, which will involve creating sensory rooms in schools for children with autism. McClover also wants to build a farm to house horses and other animals for autistic children to play with.
The ultimate goal is to raise $1 million to cover the costs of this project. Ruback hopes this event will break last year’s record of $63,000. But to him, what matters most is being able to raise any amount of money for charity alongside the impact this event will have on these organizations.
“Not a lot of people talk about the impact of the charity. People just assume that kids with autism could be a problem or can’t learn. That is far from the truth. Being able to put out literature on game day and bring the charity to life in every post we do. That right there is beneficial. It’s spreading the word about Autism, making sure people are aware of autistic charities that benefit autistic children. I think this game will go very far,” he added.
Ruback worked with Collins for four consecutive years, simultaneously raising money for charity and uniting the Giants’ fan base. This partnership would lead to them expanding the event to include former players and team legends.
“Giants are such a historic franchise that having these Super Bowl champions come to your event shows the fans that they still care. Vice versa, showing the current players that they want to be involved with community and charitable organizations,” Ruback said.
“That says a lot about the former team. I think I have close to 50 former players coming for this game and maybe ¾ of them have a championship ring or two. It brings a lot of happiness to the fans that are in attendance because once you win a Super Bowl, let alone two, three, or four for a football team like the Giants, you will have fans for the rest of your life.”
This year’s event will feature one team of current players led by Burns, while Brandon Jacobs will lead a team of former players to compete against them. In the past, franchise legends such as Eli Manning, Victor Cruz and Tom Coughlin have taken part in the festivities.
Burns plans to continue this trend by creating a family-friendly environment featuring face painting, autographs, and a dance contest. Still, the main focus is on strengthening the relationship between the Hype 4 Life Foundation and the Giants’ fan base.
Visit https://spidagame.com to purchase tickets for “The Brian Burns Celebrity Softball Game” taking place on May 30 at Clover Stadium in Pomona.
