Shriners Hospitals for Children’s goal is to help improve the lives of children through pediatric specialty care, specializing in burn care, cleft lip and palate, orthopaedics, and spinal cord injury. Any child up to age 18 is eligible for care based SOLELY on the child’s medical needs. Shriners Hospitals for Children relies heavily on donations and gifts to pay for treatments they administer. Having been around since 1922, they have come up with fun and creative ways to raise funding, with events like the East-West Shrine Game, that has become an annual tradition for the Hospital.Miami-based Inspira Films and VSBrooks ADVERTISING were hired to develop and produce the TV campaign for this year’s 85th annual East-West Shrine Game in Tampa with Super Bowl-winning Tony Dungy and Pro Wrestler “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan. Our own Diana Brooks and Eric Zamorano got a chance to meet these sports-world legends and both came out of there with a newfound respect for Tony Dungy and Jim Duggan and their involvement with the Hospital. “I admire them for their work done outside of the sports world. They were genuinely compassionate with the children,” said Diana. More exciting than the chance to meet such celebrities, however, was the effect that meeting the children and their families had on our crew. Diana was moved by the tenacity and drive of the children and their mothers'. Diana’s and Eric’s experience at Shriners Hospitals for Children brought home the purpose of the cause for the East-West Shrine Game.
As the Hospital’s biggest event of the year, the East-West Shrine Game has been played every year since 1925 and directly benefits Shriners Hospitals for Children. It is one of the Hospital’s longest standing traditions and is considered the most-respected all-star college football game in history. The quality of athletes and coaches that participate in the game ensures an exciting match each time. Last year, the East beat the West 13-10, with the point difference of a simple field goal!
We’re thrilled VSBrooks ADVERTISING and Inspira Films has been allowed to help promote such a worthwhile cause. No matter the outcome of the football game, the real winners are the kids.
This week Diana, Eric and the Inspira Films crew are out shooting commercials for Shiners Hospitals for Children’s East-West Shrine Game. On set they have Super Bowl-winning coach Tony Dungy and Pro Wrestler “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, both of whom will be talking about the game and their participation with Shriners Hospitals for Children. Diana and Eric are huge football fans, and who didn’t love wrestling in the 80’s? So, on top of the wonderful opportunity to work with Shriners Hospitals for Children, they get to meet these legendary sports heroes!
