'Kentucky United for Tornado Relief' telethon raises over $3 million
United we stand, divided we fall. Nowhere was that more apparent than in Lexington with the University of Kentucky on Tuesday night.
The university combined with the athletic department decided to do something to help those in the Bluegrass who were affected by the tornado storms that rolled through the state on Friday night. The Big Blue Nation responded in a big way.
With both John Calipari and Mark Stoops in attendance to go along with a handful of student-athletes, Kentucky’s telethon raised over $3 million to help out those in need.
The results were incredible.
The four-hour event ended at 8 p.m. EST on Tuesday and all of the proceeds will go directly to the American Red Cross. All of the donations will help the communities of Western Kentucky that were decimated by the catastrophic storms that rolled through the state on Saturday night.
“It just goes to show that when things like this happen it transcends sports and everything else in the world,” said Kentucky quarterback Will Levis. “When people come together to support a cause like this. It goes to show just how great of a community we have here.”
“This was devastating,” said John Calipari. “I can’t tell you how I felt in the morning it broke what had happened. Went from we’re going to our shootaround let’s stop at The Grotto at Notre Dame and let’s light candles let’s pray. Let people know they’re in our thoughts, prayers, and in our hearts.”
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Bigger than sports
Throughout the telethon, the humanity of multiple popular individuals was shown. The damage caused by the storm had an impact on multiple people.
Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz and Ohio State head men’s basketball coach Chris Holtmann both reached out on social media and tried to help out the victims before their teams play games against the Wildcats. Kentucky football assistants Vince Marrow and Brad White both stated that they will donate bonuses from the bowl games to the cause.
At Vanderbilt, Clark Lea and his football coaching staff got together and bought supplies and loaded up a semi-truck to deliver goods to the people struggling in Western Kentucky.
Change was made this week and people from different walks of life came together to help out those in need. This is what it’s supposed to be all about.
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