Victor Cruz pays surprise visit to Paterson football practice, donates $20,000 for equipment | Paterson Times Paterson Times

Victor Cruz pays surprise visit to Paterson football practice, donates $20,000 for equipment

By Jonathan Greene
Published: September 11, 2018

victor-cruz

Super Bowl champion Victor Cruz paid a surprise visit to Bauerle Field last week to watch the athletes of Eastside High School and John F. Kennedy High School football teams practice ahead of the season kickoff.

Cruz and several members of the New York Giants came bearing gifts. The New York Giants Foundation donated $20,000 for athletic equipment. $10,000 for Eastside High School and another $10,000 for John F. Kennedy High School.

“I played my high school state championship on this field. This place just holds a lot of memories for me and it’s always good to come back,” said Cruz. He is a graduate of Paterson Catholic High School.

The Giants ran a number of drills with the high school players before presenting the two checks for equipment.

“To have Victor Cruz and the New York Giants spend time with our young players means the world to them and to all of us,” superintendent Eileen Shafer said. “Our young men need role models, and to have the chance to work with your role models is a tremendously valuable experience.”

Some of the players who came to practice with Paterson students were Jon Halapio, B.W. Webb, Michael Thomas, and Curtis Riley.

“We are very grateful to the New York Giants Foundation for their donation that will help keep our kids in the game on the football field,” said Shafer. “I know that the lessons of discipline and hard work that our young men learn from their role models will also help them, both inside and outside the sports arena.”


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