The Vicksburg Rocket Football program was awarded $750 in its first ever request to the Vicksburg United Way board. The local allocations board met recently and decided to award a request for football helmets. The new helmets will ensure better safety for children who play but can’t afford the helmets that will best shield them from concussion. The board felt it was a good project for United Way to sponsor, Chairperson Laura Howard said.
Kip Young, the head of the program in Vicksburg explained the need to provide the safest game possible to the youth of Vicksburg. Their coaches will be trained in USA Football’s Heads Up program for 2013. It is the official youth development partner of the NFL and its 32 teams. They will work with parents, coaches, and players throughout the season to provide on-site clinics and mentoring on best player safety practices to see that they are utilized, Young stated.
The Vicksburg Rotary Club agreed to provide another $750 to complete the request of $1,500 which was far more than United Way could fund, given that it had only $14,150 to allocate between six agency requests in 2013. The funds were raised locally from the larger United Way campaign conducted throughout Kalamazoo and Calhoun counties, Howard explained.
Other requests that were granted included $10,000 to South County Community Services; $600 for hardship assistance to Boy Scout Troop 251 in Vicksburg; $500 to Vicksburg schools Community Education program to provide scholarships for the summer program; $300 to the Vicksburg District Library for its summer reading program; and $2,000 to Generous Hands’ backpack food program.