Opening their hearts for Katrina's victims
Tony Mercado
Thursday November 24, 2005
The spacious room serves by day as the main hub of operations for the San Jose SaberCats football team so it's accustomed to a flurry of activity. But on this particular evening, it's being utilized as a relief center, a place where the Saberkittens dance squad has come together to aid those whose lives were changed forever by the fury of Hurricane Katrina. The television images of flooded streets, crushed cars, washed away bridges and of desperate families pleading for help jabbed at the hearts of the women and the organization.
But for Kofoed, a first-year team member, the carnage could have been all too close to home. Her cousin in New Orleans escaped unharmed as the hurricane tore through the state, but it was with a heavy heart that her thoughts turned to the thousands of others who weren't so lucky.
"Everything they worked for was washed away," she said. "And every day, since that tragedy happened, I wondered if there was something I could do. Being part of the Saberkittens, a group that's always willing to help others, has given me that opportunity."
The Saberkittens are a group driven to help others.
Each year, the squad led by choreographer Teri Schafer selects a variety of charities to benefit. Zeroing in on the victims of Katrina was an obvious choice and the women responded with eagerness, drive and compassion. Between the 16 of them and their friends and families, the Saberkittens collected 18 boxes of clothing and other necessities such as shoes and bedding. The items were new or in excellent condition and were packed into boxes donated by Gilroy's Home Depot.
Knowing that these items would soon be in the hands of those that needed it most visibly touched Saberkiten Tasha Trujillo, who was shaken by the news reports showing young children standing in knee-deep water, in some instances, partially clothed with little food in their hands and no adults in sight.
"I didn't fully understand the magnitude of what happened and how bad it really was until I saw that," she said. "I know it's going to take a lot more than what we're doing now to help people get on their feet and back on with their lives, but every little bit helps."
In the coming weeks, the SaberCats organization will load the items into trucks and send them on their way to Louisiana.
"This was something I felt we needed to do," said Schafer. "I think we did so much in coming together and helping to make such a tragic situation right."
Tony Mercado holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from San Jose State University and spent 10 years as a newspaper reporter in the Bay Area. He now works in the public relations field, but continues to enjoy writing about the local teams and the positive impact its players, coaches and dance squads have in their communities.
