In the spirit of giving back this holiday season, retail, entertainment and dining destination American Dream in East Rutherford will partner with Hackensack Meridian Children’s Health to host a “Shop for Good” day.
The property’s participating retailers, attractions and restaurants will donate a percentage of sales to Tackle Kids Cancer, a philanthropic initiative that raises money for pediatric cancer research and patient care programs at Hackensack Meridian Health’s two children’s hospitals, Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital at Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack and K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital at Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune.
The shopping event will take place from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Dec. 9.
“Family is at the center of what we do every day at American Dream,” Bryan Gaus, senior vice president and general manager of American Dream, said. “We’re proud to partner with Tackle Kids Cancer to raise awareness, further research efforts and support kids and families who are living with cancer.”
American Dream’s retailers and eateries such as Toys “R” Us and Carpaccio are participating in the “Shop for Good” campaign. In addition, American Dream attractions, including DreamWorks Water Park, Nickelodeon Universe Theme Park, Angry Birds Mini Golf, Black Light Mini Golf, Mirror Maze and TiLT Museum have donated to the initiative.
Former New York Giants quarterback, two-time Super Bowl champion and “Walter Payton Man of The Year” recipient Eli Manning acts as the “captain” of “Tackle Kids Cancer,” advocating for the cause since its inception in 2015.
“It’s so great to see American Dream and ‘Shop for Good’ come together to support Tackle Kids Cancer at Hackensack Meridian Children’s Health, which is so near and dear to my heart,” Manning said. “The community has a great opportunity to come together to lend a helping hand to families that have a child diagnosed with cancer and to give kids a chance to be kids. With the help of our donors, we can accomplish so much to support our patients while our researchers work to find a cure.”
“Every three minutes, a child is diagnosed with cancer, and only 4% of our federal budget supports pediatric cancer research,” Dr. Alfred Gillio, director of Hackensack Meridian Children’s Health Children’s Cancer Institute, said. “This makes what we are doing at Tackle Kids Cancer so important. We are grateful to our friends at American Dream and its retailers for helping us highlight the important work of Tackle Kids Cancer this holiday season.”
