CHARLOTTE, N.C. — When former Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey was not on the football field scoring touchdowns, he was in the Charlotte community making a lasting impact.
Early in his career, McCaffrey started a nonprofit Christian McCaffrey Foundation and began using his influence to help others. As part of that, the 22AndYou campaign began around the height of the COVID-19 pandemic as means to thank frontline heroes.
“[With] such a well-known name and such a well-respected figure in the Carolinas, it really did promote a lot of giving," president of the North Carolina Healthcare Foundation Julie Wacker said.
McCaffrey encouraged people to donate in multiples of 22-- his signature jersey number-- with donations ranging from $22 to $2,200. In total, about $250,000 was raised to benefit healthcare systems all across the Carolinas.
“We distributed those funds in the form of grants to hospitals throughout NC, mostly rural where staffing was even more of a challenge to create wellness services for staff, provide meals and other supplies," Wacker said.
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McCaffrey was also active in giving back to military families as well. In December 2021, he paid off the holiday layaways for more than 360 military families in the Carolinas through the Pay Away The Layaway program.
“When he let them know he was paying off their layaways, they were so thankful, cheering, happy just the thank yous were erupting all over the Zoom call," Pay Away The Layaway Director of Communications Julie Sullivan said. "It was an impactful, powerful moment."
As a member of the Lowe's Home Team McCaffrey also helped repair homes for disabled vets. In a statement, a Lowe's spokesperson said:
“Christian’s involvement with the Lowe’s Home Team the past three seasons has been a great addition to the continued partnership between Lowe’s and the Panthers. Just like Lowe’s, Christian and the Panthers are committed to giving back in unique ways and making our hometown better for all, which is why Charlotte has been so positively impacted by all he has done as a member of the Lowe’s Home Team. We wish Christian all the best in the Bay Area and are grateful for all we’ve achieved together.”
McCaffrey also established a relationship with Atrium Health Levine Children's Hospital through his work with The Logan Project to help provide gaming devices for patients undergoing treatment.
Atrium Health Levine Children's shared this statement:
Christian McCaffrey and his foundation have had a tremendous, positive impact on Atrium Health Levine Children’s Hospital. From his initial visit at Halloween as a rookie, to raising funds for front line health care workers at the beginning of the pandemic; and, most recently, the Logan Project to donate gaming consoles to our patients, it’s clear he has a heart for this community and the patients at our hospital. We are so grateful for his support and hope he knows he is always welcome back at Levine Children’s Hospital.
Contact Briana Harper at bharper@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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