celebrity chef. With all our contacts, it
became a kind of movement, and now
it’s this amazing party that everyone
who goes is there to party. Everyone is
dressed down, and it’s an eclectic mix of
people with no judgement and a lot of
money raised and an amazing party with
the most insane food ever. Chef Capon
and the Tao Group is there. No one has
ever left saying this isn’t the most insane
tailgate I’ve ever been to.”
The event has now been a staple in
the men’s lives, and, while they barely
make it to the game with all the work
that goes into the event, the group is
very grateful for the cooperation provided
by MetLife Stadium and the N.Y.
Giants.
“I think the whole day is special,”
Capon said. “It’s one of our favorite
days of the year, but there is a moment
where we do present to someone in the
organization. It’s a big check, and it’s
not about the money, it’s about the connections
we made. I have an email on
my wall from Riley Sander’s dad, and
it’s a memento. I’ll never forget that moment
where we were chanting her name
in the parking lot, there wasn’t a dry eye
in the parking lot, and her symbol was a
pair of bunny ears. It almost felt like
everyone at the game was wearing
bunny ears. I have to say it was probably
1/1000 but it felt like everywhere you
looked, there wear bunny ears. No one
makes a dollar or takes a dime, it’s just
charity work. In life, you are going to
figure out how to give back. The world
is getting to be a really nasty place, and
you have to figure how to give back, and
it keeps us together too. It’s a ton of
work for all of us. It’s great.”
Moving forward, Section 16H Group
wants to an even bigger difference. Not
one of the members are compensated for
their efforts, and while they originally
never imagined it would grow to this
level, they now have trouble seeing it as
anything smaller. Their goals now include
making their own programs and
seeing how far they can take their charity.
“I guess when we were throwing the
football around, we had no idea we
would have 800-900 people and we
would have board meetings about how
we would divvy up the money,” Wraith
said. “Now, we’re happy with the success
we’ve had, but we want to do more.
The next step for us would be to initiate
our own program so we can help the
community and not be the conduit for
another charity, but actually set up our
own programs that directly impact the
public.”
Their goal for the charity and the tailgate,
mainly, is to make a difference
while making sure everyone is having
the best time possible. They are not
looking for a somber event, but one that
celebrates the people and makes an impact.
“We have a certain skill set, a certain
work ethic, and we’ve had help and
we’ve gotten lucky,” Wraith said. “It’s a
52 BC The Mag FALL 2018