It’s no secret that Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson loves ice cream. But ice cream and ketchup? Let’s just say that combo leaves major room for improvement.
Still, the Super Bowl winning coach dished himself up a nice ketchup sundae recently at the suggestion (okay, it was more of a dare) of former Eagles coach Dick Vermeil. Why? So the Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House — the world’s first — can build additional rooms to house more families who have seriously ill children.
The Ronald McDonald House provides lodging, transportation to and from the hospital, nightly meals, and so much more to families with children who are sick and need medical care. Hundreds of families stay at the Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House each year, but hundreds more are turned away because there isn’t enough room.
So, the two beloved coaches are spearheading the Coaches’ Challenge, which dares people to eat a ketchup sundae and donate a few dollars to the “House,” so it can continue building its champion-worthy addition.
Pederson and Vermeil are also competing against one another to see who can raise the most money for the cause (Support Team Pederson and/or support Team Vermeil). At the time of this writing, Vermeil has the slight lead.
Here’s Coach Pederson downing his ice cream topped with ketchup:
“We feel incredibly grateful that Coach Pederson and Coach Vermeil would champion our cause and help us raise funds for the new tower,” said Philadelphia Ronald McDonald CEO Susan Campbell. “We hope that the community will rally behind them and help us get ready to welcome more than twice as many families every year—and also have fun eating a ketchup sundae for a good cause.”
Do you want in on the action to help raise awareness and funds for the House? Take these three easy steps: