A family of football legends is making its mark on the Crescent City during Super Bowl Week, a mark that will help save the lives of children in the region.
Children's Hospital will now be known as Manning Family Children's. While hospital officials did not disclose how much money the Mannings donated, they did say that the family will partner with LCMC Health to help share the hospital's story and mission on a national scale. The goal, hospital officials said in a statement, is to "move Louisiana from last in pediatric health outcomes to a national leader in child health and wellbeing."
Archie Manning joked that his sons Peyton and Eli pushed him and his oldest son Cooper pushed him into helping Children's Hospital with the intiative.
"Peyton has Peyton Manning Children's Hospital in Indianapolis. Eli has Eli Manning Children's Clinics in Jackson, Mississippi. So, Eli and I decided that it's time to get into the hospital business," Archie Manning said to laughs from the audience assembled at the hospital for the announcement.
Eli Manning followed his father and reflected on the gravity of what his family's contribution will mean to the children of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana.
"New Orleans is such a special place to me, obviously. Growing up here, being raised here, playing sports, and my parents still being here (54 years, they've been here), getting to come and bring my children, my family, and even though we're not living here currently, it's still home when we come here," Eli Manning said. "(We're) always excited for every opportunity that we get to come, and we want to find ways to give back and say 'thank you' to the people of New Orleans, and one way to do that is help with the Children's Hospital and to make sure that the kids of New Orleans are getting the best care and that they have the chance to live happy, healthy lives and make sure they're getting the wonderful, wonderful treatments for everything on."
Eli then reflected on what this means to his family.
"It's an honor for me to be part of this, really, in honor of my dad and of my brothers and my mom for all the great work they've done around New Orleans and the legacy they've built here and to honor them," he said. "It's really special."