On Monday, Oct. 8, the San Francisco 49ers hosted a board game tournament for the children and families of the Ronald McDonald House at Stanford.
49ers quarterback Scott Tolzien along with teammates, linebacker Darius Fleming and safety Michael Thomas, as well as Sourdough Sam and Ronald McDonald, joined the residents of the Ronald McDonald House at Stanford for an afternoon board game tournament.
The Ronald McDonald House provides a home-away-from-home for families of children with life-threatening illnesses and the lively afternoon of board games served as an opportunity for the kids and their families to take their minds off the treatments. Family Services Director at Ronald McDonald House Bri Carpaño-Seoane describes the impact of the day's activities.
"This is the third year the 49ers have hosted a board game tournament at the House," Carpaño-Seoane said. "It's something the kids look forward to for a really long time and it is a great opportunity for them to sit down with their heroes and play games. It's especially wonderful for the siblings to feel like the stars of the day and have a chance to participate. Often they're the ones who are on the sidelines, so to speak. To have them be front and center is a really special thing."
The players and children relaxed while competing in friendly yet intense games including Chutes and Ladders, Candyland, Uno, Memory, Connect 4, and Let's Go Fishing. Scott Tolzien participating in the tournament for the second year in a row, enjoyed spending the day getting to know the children through the spirit of the games, while also reminiscing on his own childhood.
"It's a blast from the past from my childhood playing all these board games," Tolzien said. "But, the best part of the day was getting to know the children's names, their faces, the opportunity to interact with them, and also be able to visit and share some experiences."
Even though Scott didn't have the winning edge in the board games, he still enjoyed the company and treats.
"I didn't have the best luck in CandyLand today, but it was fun to be able to enjoy some Coke floats and share some laughs together."
After the games concluded, every child was given an individual award for their enthusiastic participation in the tournament, and to make the day even sweeter, team sponsor Coca-Cola donated Coke floats for all the participants.
"Today, we supplied all the children and their families with Coke floats. We had Coke, root beer, and Coke Zero floats," said Pam Losito, Marketing Partnership Activation Manager for Coca-Cola Refreshments. "It went over really well. I think everybody in the house had one and they were delicious."
The players left the Ronald McDonald House with a pep in their step, knowing that they helped to bring light to the lives of the children.
