Aaron Rodgers’ charity work (Getty Images)

Aaron Rodgers’ charity work (Getty Images)

He started supporting the MACC Fund in 2010, and his commitment to the children has helped raise awareness of the organization and the need for research funding. One of the more memorable moments came in 2015, when he turned a television game show into a fundraising opportunity.

It was something far simpler, according to those who worked with him directly. MACC Fund President and CEO Becky Pinter told US Magazine that Rodgers was “extremely supportive” of their mission. He was very down-to-earth and happy to take a picture with a check, meet with our staff, sign helmets,” Pinter said.

What kept him coming back was not a marketing opportunity. “Aaron was absolutely fabulous. He was always willing to take pictures and talk with the kids. The fundraising did not happen through one big event or a single viral moment. It accumulated over years through consistent action. Aaron Rodgers used appearances on national stages to help the MACC Fund raise important funds and awareness. Beyond the game show appearances, Rodgers’ commitment to the MACC Fund increased philanthropic support for the organization, enabling it to make meaningful financial contributions to the Medical College of Wisconsin and Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, supporting multiple grants, research manuscripts, and clinical trials in pediatric oncology. That is not just writing a check. That is funding the actual science.

In 2018, the Medical College of Wisconsin recognized that work in a way that said more than any award could. At 42, now with the Pittsburgh Steelers and weighing whether he plays a 22nd NFL season, the football chapter of his life is nearing its end. Because he had earned it through years of real work, the school quietly gave a football player a doctorate.

Rodgers received an honorary doctorate from the Medical College of Wisconsin in recognition of his commitment to helping children with cancer through his work with the college and the MACC Fund. There was no public ceremony. No fanfare. The charity work, by all indication, is not.