CUNNINGHAM BOUNDS HELPS LOCAL YOUTH FOOTBALL TEAM

Fox 10 News
John Rogers
Photojournalist: Robert Brown

Burglars ransacked football equipment room
MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - In a report Wednesday, Fox 10 News took you inside a room at Maitre Park that burglars ransacked. In the storage room, thieves made off with over $4500 worth of helmets and shoulder pads. The equipment belonged to the 10 to 12 year old football players at the park.

After the report aired, business owners from all over heard about it or read it on Fox10tv.com. The story was even picked up by CNN. Coach Claudell Mack was swamped with phone calls from people wanting to help.

"People as far away as Seattle, Washington have contributed, also North Carolina," said Mack.

A local attorney's office will pay for helmets.

"One of my partners told me about it and all the lawyers decided we needed to do something to help these folks," said Greg Breedlove of Cunningham Bounds.

Another local businessman watched Thursday's practice after delivering a check.

"We're all struggling now in these economic times and it just makes you feel good to give something back," said R. Cullen Jacobs of the Mobile Home Builders Association.

One donor from Gulf Breeze offered to pay for all the equipment that was lost.

Wednesday, a fence was bare, showing that this park has no sponsors. But now, that's all about to change.

"It feels great! All my coaches, they're upbeat because they was down, the whole executive board at the park, everyone's just ecstatic!" said Mack

Some of the donors said they played football when they were kids and it left such mark on their lives, that they felt a duty to help.