Princeton Athletes for COVID-19 #TigersHelpingNJ
Donation protected
Every year Princeton student athletes come together to make an impact. This year, given the situation with COVID-19, we feel it is even more critical to come together through charitable giving.
Kicking off on 2020's Giving Tuesday Now on May 5th, Princeton athletes, current and alumni, independently organized and made it a goal to raise $50,000 in donations for COVID-19 relief in New Jersey. We selected Connect for COVID-19 as our partner organization, which works to get video-capable equipment into hospitals most affected by the outbreak. During the current no-visitor policies across the US, these devices are often the only way patients can get in touch with loved ones in critical moments. All proceeds will be used to answering demand across New Jersey hospitals.
During our time as athletes, we have all been compelled to think about families and ways in which we connect, support, and uplift each other. Reflected by many of our alumni, family is key to the Princeton athletic community. This year, let's harness the charity and kindness of the athletic community to help other folks throughout the US to connect to theirs.
For more information on the impact of your donation as well as the organization's background and mission, please check out the information below or see Connect for COVID-19's website.
All donations are truly appreciated - $1, $5, or $100 - can all make a difference. For the math, it takes $50 to purchase a tablet, and 20 tablets to fill an entire hospital. By raising $50,000 dollars, we aim to purchase 1,000 devices, impacting up to 50 hospitals.
This is a live campaign, kicking off this Giving Tuesday, and continuing through Tuesday May 12th at midnight. In Princeton spirit, teams will be competing for who can raise the most money! To help us track donations, please select the team that reached out to you in the dropdown menu as the donation referrer.
Princeton athletes can be a force for good - thank you truly for your help in making a difference!
#StrongerTogether #BeATiger #TigersHelpingNJ
Signed,
Princeton #TigersHelpingNJ Team Leaders & Alumni
Special thanks to Princeton alumni that provided support for this campaign:
Jason Garrett '89, New York Giants, Offensive Coordinator; Dallas Cowboys, Former Head Coach
Ashleigh Johnson '17, 2016 U.S. Women's Water Polo Olympic Team Gold-Medalist
Julia Ratcliffe '17, 2018 Commonwealth Games Gold Medalist
Tyler Lussi '17, Portland Thorns FC, Professional Soccer Player
Shikha Uberoi '13, Former India No. 1, Professional Tennis Player
Bob Surace '90, Princeton Football, Head Coach
John Lovett '19, Super Bowl Champion, Kansas City Chiefs
Leslie Robinson '18, New York Liberty, Professional Basketball Player
Craig Robinson '83, New York Knicks, Vice President of Player Development
#TigersHelpingNJ Website: https://TigersHelpingNJ.com
We are working with the New Jersey Pandemic Relief Fund (501c3) to ensure that we can directly support the state of New Jersey. For questions, please contact us: [email redacted]
Independently organized by Princeton University students and alumni.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Frequently Answered Questions
How do the devices get to the hospitals?
Connect for COVID-19 partners with hospital IT departments in NJ. We get the details of devices needed from the hospitals and source the equipment from device re-sellers as well as institutional donations, using funds from this campaign. To ensure safe practices, the hospitals will process the devices using proper sanitation techniques and installation methods.
Why the idea? Is there a real need?
The idea for Connect for COVID-19 comes from telling conversations with medical students and staff working on the frontlines of hospitals across the country. In addition, members of our team also have personal stories of family members who contracted the virus, where access to a smart device could have made all the difference in connecting with family. Current“no-visitor” policies in hospitals across the US result in patients not having the opportunity to contact loved ones at critical times. Patients who have phones often forget to bring them or leave their chargers behind in a rush; some, including low-income and elderly patients, lack access to smart devices altogether. Nurses have to triage , using their own devices to help patients – and most often, there's not enough. Additionally, video calls can serve as a channel for translation for non-English speakers, and also as a measure to increase mental and physical well-being during recovery.
How far will this get us?
$50 can get us one tablet, which can serve up to 10 patients per day. It takes ~20 tablets to supply an entire hospital. If able to hit our target of $20,000, we'll be able to supply to ~20 hospitals throughout the state.
Will you be purchasing devices at the best price?
Connect for COVID-19 has formed relationships with Amazon and BestBuy to purchase high volumes of devices at promotional price rates. This is a major advantage given current limits on tablet quantity purchasing by large retailers.
What happens after COVID-19?
Down the road, these devices can continue to be used in hospitals to promote connectivity during treatment, particularly for patients who do not own smart devices, or have forgotten to bring them to the hospital. Digital connectivity in healthcare has been a persistent issue, and has been especially illuminated during the recent outbreaks.
How will patients use the devices?
All devices will be pre-installed with Zoom, Whatsapp, Messenger, Gmail, Outlook and other social apps. In addition, each device will have a stand to make sure families can stay by their bedside.
Testimony from Medical Professionals
“Please know that the products of this work will be appreciated to an indescribable degree. From my clinical experience, it is such an isolating experience not only for COVID+ individuals, but for everyone else facing critical illness or who is already vulnerable & high risk. For example, I just cycled off inpatient oncology … having to have conversations about end-stage and hospice — without loved ones present — was truly heartbreaking for everyone involved. I also trained in Brooklyn for medical school, and most of my classmates are still based in NYC; the stories they have shared are just so horrifyingly sad.” - Audrey Li, Resident Physician in Internal Medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School
“Thank you for sharing this! This has been one of the more difficult challenges, as so many of our patients in critical condition, or even dying, are unfortunately alone. iPads, etc. can go a long way here!” - Sumanth Kaja, Emergency Medicine Resident Physician at NYU Langone & Bellevue Hospitals
"I am a palliative care physician and I continue to witness the loneliness and emotional pain that COVID-19 patients and their families are enduring. In addition to the physical suffering that comes with the disease, patients’ inability to see their families is leading to significant emotional suffering. Just imagine having to drop off a loved one at the hospital and not knowing if you will ever see them again. Thankfully for some, they are able to remain connected to friends and family through their smartphones. There is a distinct difference in the resilience and coping ability of a patient who remains connected and a patient who is isolated. Improving these connections is so important in caring for a patient as a whole." - Palliative Care fellow at Penn Medicine
Kicking off on 2020's Giving Tuesday Now on May 5th, Princeton athletes, current and alumni, independently organized and made it a goal to raise $50,000 in donations for COVID-19 relief in New Jersey. We selected Connect for COVID-19 as our partner organization, which works to get video-capable equipment into hospitals most affected by the outbreak. During the current no-visitor policies across the US, these devices are often the only way patients can get in touch with loved ones in critical moments. All proceeds will be used to answering demand across New Jersey hospitals.
During our time as athletes, we have all been compelled to think about families and ways in which we connect, support, and uplift each other. Reflected by many of our alumni, family is key to the Princeton athletic community. This year, let's harness the charity and kindness of the athletic community to help other folks throughout the US to connect to theirs.
For more information on the impact of your donation as well as the organization's background and mission, please check out the information below or see Connect for COVID-19's website.
All donations are truly appreciated - $1, $5, or $100 - can all make a difference. For the math, it takes $50 to purchase a tablet, and 20 tablets to fill an entire hospital. By raising $50,000 dollars, we aim to purchase 1,000 devices, impacting up to 50 hospitals.
This is a live campaign, kicking off this Giving Tuesday, and continuing through Tuesday May 12th at midnight. In Princeton spirit, teams will be competing for who can raise the most money! To help us track donations, please select the team that reached out to you in the dropdown menu as the donation referrer.
Princeton athletes can be a force for good - thank you truly for your help in making a difference!
#StrongerTogether #BeATiger #TigersHelpingNJ
Signed,
Princeton #TigersHelpingNJ Team Leaders & Alumni
Special thanks to Princeton alumni that provided support for this campaign:
Jason Garrett '89, New York Giants, Offensive Coordinator; Dallas Cowboys, Former Head Coach
Ashleigh Johnson '17, 2016 U.S. Women's Water Polo Olympic Team Gold-Medalist
Julia Ratcliffe '17, 2018 Commonwealth Games Gold Medalist
Tyler Lussi '17, Portland Thorns FC, Professional Soccer Player
Shikha Uberoi '13, Former India No. 1, Professional Tennis Player
Bob Surace '90, Princeton Football, Head Coach
John Lovett '19, Super Bowl Champion, Kansas City Chiefs
Leslie Robinson '18, New York Liberty, Professional Basketball Player
Craig Robinson '83, New York Knicks, Vice President of Player Development
#TigersHelpingNJ Website: https://TigersHelpingNJ.com
We are working with the New Jersey Pandemic Relief Fund (501c3) to ensure that we can directly support the state of New Jersey. For questions, please contact us: [email redacted]
Independently organized by Princeton University students and alumni.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Frequently Answered Questions
How do the devices get to the hospitals?
Connect for COVID-19 partners with hospital IT departments in NJ. We get the details of devices needed from the hospitals and source the equipment from device re-sellers as well as institutional donations, using funds from this campaign. To ensure safe practices, the hospitals will process the devices using proper sanitation techniques and installation methods.
Why the idea? Is there a real need?
The idea for Connect for COVID-19 comes from telling conversations with medical students and staff working on the frontlines of hospitals across the country. In addition, members of our team also have personal stories of family members who contracted the virus, where access to a smart device could have made all the difference in connecting with family. Current“no-visitor” policies in hospitals across the US result in patients not having the opportunity to contact loved ones at critical times. Patients who have phones often forget to bring them or leave their chargers behind in a rush; some, including low-income and elderly patients, lack access to smart devices altogether. Nurses have to triage , using their own devices to help patients – and most often, there's not enough. Additionally, video calls can serve as a channel for translation for non-English speakers, and also as a measure to increase mental and physical well-being during recovery.
How far will this get us?
$50 can get us one tablet, which can serve up to 10 patients per day. It takes ~20 tablets to supply an entire hospital. If able to hit our target of $20,000, we'll be able to supply to ~20 hospitals throughout the state.
Will you be purchasing devices at the best price?
Connect for COVID-19 has formed relationships with Amazon and BestBuy to purchase high volumes of devices at promotional price rates. This is a major advantage given current limits on tablet quantity purchasing by large retailers.
What happens after COVID-19?
Down the road, these devices can continue to be used in hospitals to promote connectivity during treatment, particularly for patients who do not own smart devices, or have forgotten to bring them to the hospital. Digital connectivity in healthcare has been a persistent issue, and has been especially illuminated during the recent outbreaks.
How will patients use the devices?
All devices will be pre-installed with Zoom, Whatsapp, Messenger, Gmail, Outlook and other social apps. In addition, each device will have a stand to make sure families can stay by their bedside.
Testimony from Medical Professionals
“Please know that the products of this work will be appreciated to an indescribable degree. From my clinical experience, it is such an isolating experience not only for COVID+ individuals, but for everyone else facing critical illness or who is already vulnerable & high risk. For example, I just cycled off inpatient oncology … having to have conversations about end-stage and hospice — without loved ones present — was truly heartbreaking for everyone involved. I also trained in Brooklyn for medical school, and most of my classmates are still based in NYC; the stories they have shared are just so horrifyingly sad.” - Audrey Li, Resident Physician in Internal Medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School
“Thank you for sharing this! This has been one of the more difficult challenges, as so many of our patients in critical condition, or even dying, are unfortunately alone. iPads, etc. can go a long way here!” - Sumanth Kaja, Emergency Medicine Resident Physician at NYU Langone & Bellevue Hospitals
"I am a palliative care physician and I continue to witness the loneliness and emotional pain that COVID-19 patients and their families are enduring. In addition to the physical suffering that comes with the disease, patients’ inability to see their families is leading to significant emotional suffering. Just imagine having to drop off a loved one at the hospital and not knowing if you will ever see them again. Thankfully for some, they are able to remain connected to friends and family through their smartphones. There is a distinct difference in the resilience and coping ability of a patient who remains connected and a patient who is isolated. Improving these connections is so important in caring for a patient as a whole." - Palliative Care fellow at Penn Medicine
Fundraising team (20)
Connect for COVID-19 - Nationwide
Organizer
Princeton, NJ
Mens and Womens Rugby
Team member
Mens Sprint Football
Team member
Mens and Womens Basketball
Team member
Mens Baseball and Womens Softball
Team member
