Florida Atlantic University offered free football tickets to any Florida resident affected by Hurricane Helene or Hurricane Milton. When the Owls took the field on Saturday against the University of North Texas, they celebrated the Tri-County Appreciation Day by filling the stadium with impacted families from Palm Beach, Dade and Broward counties.
Families were given four tickets to take in the game, and FAU brought smiles and sunshine to communities that have been experiencing nothing but cloudy days the past few weeks. While a football game couldn’t fix their water-logged homes or communities, it could be a first step back toward normalcy for many.
This game also marked as a return to normal for FAU, as it shut down all campus operations during Hurricane Helene just a few weeks prior.
Related: Duke, Eastern Tennessee Organize Relief Drives for Hurricane Victims
According to FAU News, Brian White, vice president and director of athletics at FAU, said, “We extend our deepest condolences to those impacted this week by the devastating weather in our state. Our priority has always been to give back to the communities that mean so much to us and we hope that Saturday’s game provides a few hours of normalcy for those impacted.”
Fans in attendance were encouraged to donate to the Florida Disaster Fund to continue to help fund the emergency response following these two hurricanes. The fund goes toward helping local communities recover, no matter what they’ve lost after a storm.
FAU now joins other universities like Eastern Tennessee State and Duke University in reaching out to storm victims this fall. These schools have organized relief drives and donations to help the affected communities near them, and both Duke and Eastern Tennessee State offered sports tickets in exchange for donations.
Unfortunately, FAU lost to North Texas during their Tri-County Appreciation Day game, but it still provided a meaningful opportunity to bring the community together during these difficult times.
