Hundreds of sports fans gathered April 6 for Huddle Up! for Kids, a football draft-themed fundraiser designed to expand Friends of the Children - Tampa Bay’s mentoring programs. Guest speaker Anthony “Booger” McFarland, a former Tampa Bay Buccaneer and current ESPN football analyst, shared his personal story about being raised by a single mother in rural Louisiana and about the male role models who mentored him. The event was held at House of Athlete, a performance training center operated by Yo Murphy, a former Buccaneer teammate of McFarland’s, and former NFL cornerback Brandon Ghee, a board member at Friends of the Children.
Guests enjoyed dinner and auctions featuring items donated by many of the professional athletes who train at the center during their off-seasons. Guests wore jerseys from their favorite teams and staff from Friends of the Children donned shirts with the same number - 12.5 - representing the number of years their professional mentors spend with each child in the program.
