Sunday, January 17, 2010

Hoops for Haiti...

Kentucky coach John Calipari asked Big Blue Nation to come together and help the hundreds of thousands affected in the aftermath of a horrific earthquake in Haiti. Kentucky fans - albeit unsurprisingly - answered the call with one giant slam dunk.

With the efforts of Calipari, WKYT, UK coaches and players (current and former), local and national celebrities, the collegiate coaching community, local and national businessmen across the country, and more, UK raised $525,000 in funds in its "Hoops for Haiti" telethon, a four-and-a-half fundraiser to help the relief efforts in Haiti. With $500,000 in matching funds, UK raised more than $1 million.

Those figures were as of 7 p.m. on Sunday. Final figures will be released later in the week when the bidding for the auction items is complete.

"The people and the fans of Kentucky, this state of Kentucky and the people all over this nation called in," UK head coach John Calipari said on the telethon. "I don't know what to say. It's emotional. We just spent a day and all you people did it. I just want to thank you. Thank you, Kentucky."

Through the United Way and the American Red Cross, the donations will go straight to the relief efforts in Haiti.

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1 comment:

  1. Great job Kentucky! Haiti could use every dollar that was raised. Recovering from a catastrophic event like the earthquake will take several months, if not years.

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