PORTLAND, Maine — New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski and his family have donated $25,000 to a Maine children’s hospital.
Gronkowski gave kids at The Barbara Children’s Bush Hospital in Portland a lesson on how to spike a football Tuesday and presented executives with a check along with his father and two brothers, according to a hospital spokeswoman.
The Barbara Bush Hospital was one of three New England hospitals to receive a donation from funds raised by The Gronk Nation Youth Foundation, which raffled off tickets to the Super Bowl and AFC championship game, Maine Medical Center spokeswoman Caroline Cornish said in a statement.
The hospital, located at Maine Medical Center, will use the funds to purchase equipment, support health care services and provide young patients with “fun distraction,” Cornish said.
“We are very grateful for this generous donation from the Gronkowski Foundation,” Jeffrey Sanders, the executive vice president and chief operating officer of Maine Medical Center, said in the statement. “Gronk will always be a champion to us.”
The medical provider may also stand to gain from the Patriots’ recent loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Portland Mayor Ethan Strimling, who will be shaving his head of Friday after losing a bet on Super Bowl LII, is using the occasion as a fundraiser for the hospital.
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