Editor’s Note: The NFLPA Community MVP recognizes players who are making a positive impact in their local communities. Each week, the NFLPA will celebrate one player who recently demonstrated his commitment to giving back to his community, and will make a donation to the player’s foundation or cause in support. This week’s #CommunityMVP is New England Patriots strong safety Patrick Chung, who held his first Patrick Chung Open Mic Holiday Party last Monday, which raised over $75,000 for his foundation, Boston Children’s Hospital and The Dimock Center.
New England Patriots safety Patrick Chung grew up around music. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Chung has a deep affection for the musical culture of his home country. This was fostered by his mother, Sophia George-Chung. Some may recognize the name; George-Chung was a popular reggae singer in the 1980s, best known for her hit “Girlie-Girlie.” She instilled a passion for music in Chung at a young age, one that he now seeks to share with children around his New England community.
When Chung reached the NFL, he found that he had a unique platform to share his passions with children. Chung formed his foundation, Chung Changing Lives, to give children access to a variety of character shaping experiences. Although providing children with opportunities to explore music is a primary goal of the organization, it offers kids a diverse range of benefits and experiences.
“We went with the name Chung Changing Lives because we didn’t want to choose just one specific cause,” Chung toldNFLPA.com. “We feel we have an opportunity to change lives, make an impact. We are really trying to help with anything one step at a time; whether it be an interest in arts and music, academics, athletics, health, etc. There are countless things out there.”
In the spirit of music and giving, Chung held his first Patrick Chung Open Mic Holiday party last Monday at Showcase Live in Foxboro, Massachusetts. Hundreds of guests and a bevy of Patriots stars came together to perform karaoke hits, participate in a raffle and auction, and meet and mingle with the players. Jerod Mayo, Vince Wilfork, Devin McCourty, Brandon Browner, Chandler Jones, and Rob Ninkovich were just a few of the players in attendance.
Ticketed guests were able to bid to perform onstage with their favorite player, a highlight of the night for many. In all, more than $75,000 was raised for the Chung Changing Lives foundation, Boston Children’s Hospital, and The Dimock Center, for which over 40 toys were also collected for their Dimock Center Toy Drive.
Sophia George-Chung made a special appearance as well, performing for the first time in nearly 20 years. Reflecting back on the night, watching his mother perform was one of the most special moments for Chung, along with his opportunity to perform with patients from the Boston’s Children Hospital.
“We performed ‘Firework’ by Katy Perry!” Chung said. “It was also fun to watch some of our guests’ performances with myself or my teammates – some of my teammates shouldn’t quit their day job! Yet, Rob Ninkovich and Brian Tyms can really sing! Everyone was just having a great time attempting to sing and dance while raising funds for three causes during the holiday season.”
Last week, Chung hosted another special holiday event. Although he knew that the Open Mic Holiday event would raise an immense amount of money for the Boston Children’s Hospital, Chung wanted to add a personal touch to his donation. He knew that the vast majority of young patients from Boston Children’s Hospital would not be able to make the trip to Foxboro for the karaoke event, so instead, he brought the karaoke to them.
Along with his friend, fellow Patriots tight end Michael Hoomanawanui, Chung spent last Tuesday afternoon at Boston Children’s Hospital with patients, their families, and staff for an afternoon of karaoke. The two Patriots players wore festive holiday hats and sang along with the children to every song, before posing for pictures and signing autographs.
“They all picked different types of songs to sing, from holiday songs to Disney,” Chung said. “Everyone had smiles on their faces and that means a lot to me. I was a little nervous to do the karaoke, but the kids helped me loosen up. Even through their health concerns, the kid’s spirits shine so bright and that’s really moving for me.”
Before leaving, the two Patriots spent some time in the newly opened Ryan Seacrest Studios, the hospital’s internal radio program. It was an opportunity for them to interact with every child at the hospital.
“Patients who weren’t able to make it down for karaoke were able to call in from their beds to ask me any question they want,” Chung said. “That was very cool. They also played my mom’s song before we wrapped up the show.”
Thanks to Patrick Chung and his foundation, it was a special week for everyone at Boston’s Children Hospital.
In the spirit of music, the landmark program for Chung Changing Lives is its Summer Music Academy for Real Teens (SMART), held annually at the Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center. It is a free, six-week summer music program for teens aged 12-16.
“I believe kids should be more constructive nowadays,” Chung said. “That’s one of the reasons we wanted to start a summer music camp for teens, to allow them to have something to do during the summer when they are out of school. Play video games after you get work done.”
Chung says that SMART is the core program of Chung Changing Lives, and he is proud of its continued success.
Applications for SMART become available in April. To learn more about the program and Chung Changing Lives, please visit http://chungchanginglives.org/.
