The Packers are honoring the sacrifice of their coach, who lost his life to save his children — two of whom are on the Packers’ team. Their efforts this season are completely dedicated to “Coach Kenny,” and their jerseys are emblazoned with his initials in gold over their hearts as a reminder. They are also hoping to make a difference in the lives of his children by raising money for the Kenny Simonson Memorial Fund created for their care.
Bradley County will have the biggest rival game in the area Friday night between the Cleveland Blue Raiders and the Bradley Central Bears at Bear Stadium. The Packers will be offering memorial wristbands for a $5 donation.
The wristbands will be in four colors, black and gold for the Bears and blue and white for the Raiders, setting up two competitions between these rival teams.
Fans can not only look forward to one great football game, but a friendly competition of goodwill between the students and fans in the stands to see which team’s colors bring in the most donations.
These wristbands are embossed with the “BE A HERO FOR A HERO” slogan in honor of Simonson. With the help of the coach’s little league team, organizers hope say they hope this community will be a hero for him and to his kids.
Those who won’t be at the game or just want to donate $5 may do so by texting “icare2” to 20222. A confirmation message will appear; just reply “Yes” to confirm the donation. The $5 will be added to the mobile phone bill or deducted from a pre-paid balance. Standard messaging and data rates may apply.
Donations may also be sent directly to the Kenneth Simonson Memorial Fund at SunTrust Bank in Cleveland.
