Record Courier: Kent State football team lends helping hand to Alabama tornado victims
7/19/2011 12:00:00 AM | Football
By Dave Carducci, Record Courier
Kent State's football team is reaching out to help the people who will probably cheer against the Golden Flashes in their 2011 season opener.
Quarterback Spencer Keith, running back Jacquise Terry and defensive linemen Lee Stalker and Ishmaa'ily Kitchen will join KSU assistant athletic director for athletic communications Alan Ashby on a trip to Tuscaloosa, Ala. to help the ongoing relief effort following the devastating tornado that killed 43 and injured more than 1,000 on April 27.
The group will work with Habitat for Humanity on Friday. On Saturday, they will hold a football clinic for children who were left homeless when their housing project was leveled by the tornado. Some University of Alabama players may join the Flashes for the clinic.
“I thought it was nice our guys wanted to go down and help,” said Ashby. “They don't get a whole lot of free time, so for them to want to go down and want to do this says a lot about these kids. I'm sure it will be worthwhile.”
Ashby reached out to Toomer's for Tuscaloosa, a grassroots network dedicated to providing relief to the residents of North Alabama following the April tornadoes.
That group put the Flashes in touch with the Red Cross, who followed with the suggestion to join Habitat for Humanity in its work.
“Everyone has been just great,” said Ashby. “The Red Cross was really enthusiastic about our coming down to help.”
The Flashes return to Tuscaloosa to play Alabama on Sept. 3.
