Penn State football players continue annual tradition with virtual visit to children’s hospital

Penn State football players Sean Clifford, Pat Freiermuth, Fred Hansard, Tariq Castro-Fields, Aeneas Hawkins, PJ Mustipher, and head coach James Franklin would not let the coronavirus pandemic keep them from visiting pediatric patients at the Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital on Tuesday.

The visit, which has been done annually in person since July 2014, was done virtually over Facebook Live, Periscope, and Twitter.

While previous visits included games, coloring, and hugs, the fun was still brought to Sawyer, Devin and Owen virtually through charades, silly questions and virtual hugs.

“I think that this is obviously one of the most important days of the year for everybody involved,” Clifford said. “We get to play this game that we love, and I think the best way to do it is through giving back to as many people as possible, and I think that that’s one of the things that we can do with this hospital visit. I think it’s great that we’re doing this virtual visit since we can’t do it in person.”

Additional children were visited by other football players in private Zoom calls, according to a press release from Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital.

To the team, the opportunity to interact with the kids goes beyond football and offers a “different perspective on life,” said Freiermuth.

Interacting with the children allows them to build bonds and get to know the men who they see play at Beaver Stadium in the fall. The event is a way to give back to the community and a “phenomenal” part of Penn State football’s program, Franklin said.

“This was something that we were committed to doing, and I think it’s turned out to be better than probably anybody expected,” Franklin said. “I know the hospital’s been appreciative of our partnership with them. I know our staff and players really, really value it as well. It’s been great.”

He added: “At the end of the day, we understand how important winning is at Penn State, but we also know the value of making an impact in your community, and when we go to that hospital and we can pour our hearts and souls into those kids and hopefully put a smile on their faces for a couple of hours, you can’t put a price on that.”