General

Donovan McNabb Wants My Money

Jan 15, 2010, 9:15 PM UTC

â†µWe got a letter in the mail today from Donovan McNabb. No, it wasn’t a thank you letter to Eagles fans for rooting for him all these years or an apology for once again not bringing home a Super Bowl championship. In fact, the letter wasn’t about football at all. â†µ

â†µâ†µDonovan McNabb wants my money. â†µ

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â†µâ†µMcNabb is a spokesman for the Virtua Foundation, a fundraising arm of the local hospital network in South Jersey. Turns out, our children were born in the same hospital (OMG maybe in the same room even!) and, per this pitch letter, his kids “were given the best possible start to their life, and we are eternally grateful.”â†µ

â†µâ†µSo grateful that they are asking Joe and Jane Citizen to donate money to the hospital system. The letter, dated December 14, 2009 but delivered in the mail today, explains that the McNabb family believes so strongly in Virtua as their hospital that they “drive past other hospitals just to get to Virtua.”â†µ

â†µâ†µIt turns out, the McNabb twins spent a few weeks in the NICU and ... long story short ... the family wants to help raise more money for those of us who will need the “quality health care right here in our community.”â†µ

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â†µSo how much are they looking for? We're clearly on this mailing list only because our daughter was born at Virtua, or because we're expecting in a few months, and not because we share a tax bracket with the McNabb clan. I'm happy to kick in a few bucks. Will $50 help? One hundred perhaps? â†µ

â†µâ†µâ‡¥Please consider making a gift of $5,000 to Virtua’s Annual Fund. Your contribution could be used to help purchase additional Giraffe Omnibeds for the NICU, which provide quiet, “womb-like environments” for fragile newborns, featuring special lighting and temperature controls to maximize infant development.â†µâ‡¥â†µâ‡¥A $2,500 donation could be used to help enhance Virtua’s nurse navigation program for patients with cancer. Navigators are clinicians who support patients through the entire process of diagnosis, treatment and recovery by coordinating appointments, explaining options, answering questions and providing much-needed support during a difficult time. A contribution of $1,000 can also make a significant impact on the services Virtua provides.â†µâ‡¥

â†µâ†µOkay then, the McNabbs just priced themselves out of the Levy market. The letter mentions they have “made a commitment to support Virtua through charitable gifts and hope you will join us this year with a leadership gift,” but man alive, if you pardon the pun, they’re asking for a lot of scratch. â†µâ†µI’ll tell you what, Donovan. If the Eagles win a Super Bowl with you as the quarterback, put me down for $1,000. With writers every day trying to trade the embattled quarterback despite the vote of confidence by Andy Reid earlier this week, I’m not sure McNabb – four kids or not – is the best local pitchman. They really should have gotten these letters out before the playoffs. â†µ

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This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.

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