The Hampton Roads Piranhas will spearhead the United Soccer Leagues charity auction to benefit the victims of Hurricane Katrina through the United Way Response Fund. The Piranhas, with the assistance of the league office, have asked USL teams to donate memorabilia to the USL Gulf Coast Assistance Auction.
All items will be listed on eBay beginning next Tuesday, Sept. 13, with auction proceeds being donated to the United Way Response Fund.
Piranhas Owner and General Manager Marcie Laumann will collect the items, list them on eBay, and package and ship them to the auction winners.
ôI watched CNN last week for hours, waiting and praying to hear from relatives that live in New Orleans,ö said Laumann. ôWe finally heard from them on Thursday. Their house is gone, as well as their jobs, but they are alive and safe and headed to Texas to regroup.ö
Anyone who would like to donate items to the auction can contact the Piranhas by calling (757) 572-1592 or emailing hrpiranhas@mindspring.com for more information.
ôOur hearts obviously go out to everyone at the Shell Shockers and those in the Gulf Coast region,ö said USL Vice President Tim Holt. ôThe devastation caused and being felt by the wonderful people in that region is unimaginable, even after experiencing several hurricanes here in Tampa last year.ö
ôWe are thankful to Marcie, one of the most hardworking and philanthropic members of the USL family for helping us in our efforts to support the recovery efforts in the region so that people can get back on their feet and hopefully attend Shell Shockers games in the near future. We also want to thank all of our teams who have done other charitable collection efforts since the storm to help the cause.ö
USL: Teams Lending a Hand
Charleston Battery: The Battery collected donations for the American Red Cross at their final home game of the season with the club matching the amount received from its fans.
Laredo Heat: The Heat are collecting items such as soap, toothbrushes, bath towels, etc. in an effort to put together at least 1,000 Care & Hygiene packages to deliver to those affected.
Portland Timbers: The Timbers, in cooperation with Northwest Medical Teams, are collecting donations at their final two home games of the season tonight and Saturday along with its sister baseball team the Portland Beavers, who closed out their season with a four-game series that concluded yesterday. Both clubs are also donating portions of their internet ticket sales.
Richmond Kickers: The Kickers helped raise funds and collect items such as pants and shoes at their final home game last Saturday with the assistance of First Market Bank.
Rochester Rhinos: The Rhinos are collecting funds at their final home game this Saturday for the American Red Cross and the family of player Lenin Steenkamp, who lived in the devastated area.
Toronto Lynx: At their final two home games of the season, the Lynx conducted 50/50 drawings to help raise funds for relief efforts with the ownership of the club matching the money raised.