MINNEAPOLIS – Just when you thought the story of the Saintly punter couldn’t get any sweeter.
Now patients, their families and staff at Children’s Minnesota have come together to create a video to thank New Orleans Saints punter Thomas Morstead for his act of kindness that has resulted in fans raising nearly $200,000 through his organization What You Give Will Grow.
On Thursday night, Children’s Minnesota released the video on their social media accounts. And that’s just the latest development in a story that has garnered national attention.
“It’s been a whirlwind past two days, that’s all I can say… I never would have thought this would happen,” Morstead told KARE 11 on Thursday night.
From stories in national newspapers to retweets by Ellen DeGeneres, the story of Morstead’s initial act of sportsmanship Sunday night that inspired Minnesota Vikings’ fans to support his organization has outplayed expectations. And that means the very people his organization tries to help – children who are served by Child Life departments at pediatric hospitals – stand to benefit.
Once the total raised by Minnesota fans reached $100,000, the punter pledged to make the trip to Minnesota to deliver the check himself. And beyond the money, Morstead is also grateful for the extra education about the little-known department.
“If you go to any hospital, there’s kids suffering. And child life is very underfunded nationally,” Morstead said, adding, “It's not about people always putting their money out there and just writing a check or doing a one-time thing. It's to really help educate people about why it's an important part of health care for children. It’s not just some kids that are sick. It’s for their siblings to understand why their brother or sister’s getting needles stuck in them every day. It’s for their families to support them. And how to help their kids emotionally deal with some of the things that they’re going through."
And at the end of the day -- Morstead says giving those children some additional attention and support means delivering a win to the ultimate underdog team.
"I just think it’s important that these kids know they’re not forgotten,” he said.
To check out the video released by Children’s Minnesota on Thursday night, simply click here: