RE: PLEASE DONATE !!
If funds continue to be raised beyond the immediate support needed for Nate's family, I hope those funds can be positively directed toward education and support programs for students.
Having grown up as an athlete in a single parent family, I related strongly from a distance to Nate and his mother and sister, as well as, the challenges and pressures that Nate may have been dealing with, as alluded to during his memorial.
The reality and gray areas of Nate's tragic death will, I suspect, become more difficult as more information becomes known in the trial of the suspect. Easy research of public social media shows the individual was known by some members of the team. For me, that knowledge made me very angry, since I could not compartmentalize this as a random act of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. My anger was, also, not in judgment, but in the reality of the potential consequences these kids deal with in today's socio-economic environment. It's a tragedy even for kids, such as the suspect, who may grow up in a circle of friends, but may not get the same opportunities as their friends and get caught up in a negative path.
Coach Marion had tweeted several days ago, that a tragedy like this just highlights the responsibilities they have as mentors in these kids' lives. The staff now has an even more tangible need to educate, guide and, hopefully, minimize the risks these kids face. Players, also, will have a lot to work through, and the heightened awareness to help each other and lead new kids coming into the program.
I certainly don't want to experience, again, seeing the pain being suffered by a parent, or the deer in headlights look of so many fresh faced kids, as I saw Monday night.
It's a reality check for not just athletes, but all kids. As One Tribe One Family, I pondered the likelihood that if this had not been a star athlete, but one of those other fresh faced kids, would they get the same posthumous benefit of a campus memorial service and fundraising to support a single parent ?
Again, I would hope any surplus funds raised would go to a campus education/support program to help all W&M students, as a legacy for Nate.
(This post was last modified: 03-27-2019 11:44 AM by Tribeheart.)
|
