JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — As the City of Jacksonville prepares for the showdown between Rutgers and Wake Forest, organizers want you to know, the Taxslayer Gator Bowl is more than just a game.
It helps bring money to downtown hotels and restaurants, and it gives local children a chance to experience the fun of football as well.
Greg McGarity, the President and CEO of Gator Bowl Sports, says most don’t realize there is a lot of charity attached to the Taxslayer Gator Bowl.
They work with Dreams Come True to have 12 children with special needs involved in the game and the Sunday after the Gator Bowl, they host a Pop Warner Gator Bowl game.
They also award scholarships to local students.
"We are just not a game, we are much more than that, and we really want to talk about that and really be our focus moving forward," says McGarity.
There is also an opportunity to send a child to the game.
A $75 donation sends one child to the game with a meal and t-shirt. For a $3,000 donation, you could send 40 children to the game with a meal, bus ride and t-shirt.
"The more we can build on that, the more we can offer opportunities for children to come to the game who would otherwise never be able to enter the stadium," says McGarity.
For more on the Taxslayer Gator Bowl charities, to buy a raffle ticket or to donate visit www.TaxSlayerGatorBowl.com