ALBANY, N.Y. – The University at Albany football program is calling on fans to help honorary captain Luke Hoag collect letters for Santa Claus and raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Every letter to Santa that's brought to Saturday's game against Delaware at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium will earn $1 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation and help Hoag fulfill his goal of raising more than $65,000 total.
Hoag, an 11-year-old boy from Hoosick Falls, was adopted by the Great Danes in 2011 through the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation, an organization founded by UAlbany alum Denis Murphy that aims to improve the lives of children fighting pediatric cancers by pairing them with teams, clubs and community groups.
"The University of Albany faculty, staff and greater community has done more than just enhance the lives of the Hoag family — they've put into motion the development of leaders both on and off the field," Murphy said. "We, at FOJ, work with teams throughout the United States and Canada, and there is something really special about a team in our backyard working diligently and persistently to participate in our Friends of Jaclyn programs. Take that one step further, as Albany is where my wife Lynda and I both graduated and started our lives together. We still face daily battles with Jaclyn, but we do our best to find blessings in the smallest places and to see Luke doing the same is truly inspiring. We are honored to be partnered with Make-A-Wish, proud to be Great Danes and grateful for the opportunity to affect the community that has meant so much to us."
Hoag was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor at 16 months old. When Hoag was 3, the Make-A-Wish Foundation granted his wish by sending him to Walt Disney World.
Years later, as he reflected on the trip, Hoag decided to help raise money for the foundation through the Macy's Believe Campaign. It works like this: For every letter to Santa delivered to a Macy's store, Macy's donates $1 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation for a total of up to $1 million.
“I just really want other children to get their wishes like I did,” Hoag said. “It is the best gift they could receive.”
“How wonderful it is that simply writing a letter to Santa could make so many wishes come true,” added his mother, Jackie.
Hoag began four years ago by simply asking around his school for donations and ended up gathering 15,000 letters. The campaign soon spread to other school districts, nursing homes, community organizations and, through his Facebook page, people from all over the country. In 2017, he delivered 65,000 letters.
And he's aiming for even more this year.
To help Hoag, UAlbany will be collecting letters at the Great Danes' final two home games: on Saturday, Nov. 3, and Saturday, Nov. 17. Fans can either bring a letter addressed to Santa or write one at the “Letters for Luke” table on the Tom & Mary Casey Stadium concourse.
“We're very proud of Luke's efforts in raising money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation,” UAlbany Head Coach Greg Gattuso said. “He's been an important member of our football team since 2011, and we're more than happy to do everything we can to help him in this very worthy cause.”
Letters also can be addressed to the UAlbany football offices:
UAlbany Football
PE 312
University at Albany
1400 Washington Avenue
Albany, NY 12222
On Believe Day, when the donation for each letter doubles to $2, Hoag will deliver them to Macy's, from where they then will be forward to the North Pole.
