Football fund-raiser draws on star power to score cash

**Still Dirrty** · 11-03-2004, 06:14 PM

More than 1,000 fans lined up Saturday at Ashley High School Football Stadium to catch a glimpse of the stars.

They were there to see Chad Michael Murray, Sophia Bush, Hilarie Burton, James Lafferty and other stars of the locally filmed WB series One Tree Hill – and maybe get an autograph or two. If you ask for any more reasons, expect a few odd looks.

“’Cause, look at him. Who wouldn’t want to be here?” asked Lauren Barber, 17, as she held up a freshly signed picture of cutie Mr. Murray.

The event, the second annual Chad Michael Murray’s All Star Touchdown for Kids, raised $36,000 for two charities, Coastal Pop Warner League and Hunter’s Hope.

Ms. Barber and her friends came from Raleigh. But others traveled farther. Kay Clevenger drove daughter Katelyn Crouch from Dallas, Texas, as a 15th birthday present. Nineteen-year-old Kyle Whitmayer came from Philadelphia.

“I got James (Lafferty) to talk to my daughter,” said Cindy Adams of Wilmington as she held up a cell phone.

She and her husband, Bill, were a bit older than the rest of the crowd (Ms. Adams would only say that she was in her mid-40s), but they’ve become fans as they’ve watched the cast filming downtown.

Tickets to the event were $10. Postcards and T-shirts were on sale, and other donations came in from event sponsors. The money raised will be split evenly between Coastal Pop Warner and Hunter’s Hope, an organization founded by former Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly to find a cure for Krabbe leukodystrophy after his son was diagnosed with the nervous system disease.

“Jim Kelly is one of my idols,” said Mr. Murray, who is a native of Buffalo, N.Y. “And I wanted to play in Pop Warner growing up but my family didn’t have money, and I couldn’t afford the equipment.”
Mr. Murray said he hopes the fund-raiser will allow more kids to play football.

Jeff Stokley, Coastal Pop Warner president, said the league has grown from 13 teams five years ago to 37 football teams and 34 cheerleading squads.

Other stars who came out to support the charities included OTH parents Paul Johansson, Barbara Alyn Woods and General Hospital’s Ryan Carnes. Two local actor with roles on OTH, Brett Claywell and Vaughan Wilson, were also doing their part to please the fans.

Cast and crew of the show divided into teams for the flag-football game that ended the event. For the first three-quarters, the score was 20-0, with Mr. Murray’s team on the losing side. Fortunately, they managed to score 16 points in the fourth quarter.

“At least there’s a score on the board,” said Greg Prange, series producer and coach of his team. “We’d have a really hard time living down a goose egg.”

Mr. Murray wasn’t too discouraged about the loss.

“The kids won,” he said. “That’s exactly right.”

http://www.starnewsonline.com/apps/p...3188367995531\

11-03-2004, 06:14 PM	#1 (permalink)
Still Dirrty Administrator Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Holland Posts: 6,209 My Profile	More than 1,000 fans lined up Saturday at Ashley High School Football Stadium to catch a glimpse of the stars. They were there to see Chad Michael Murray, Sophia Bush, Hilarie Burton, James Lafferty and other stars of the locally filmed WB series One Tree Hill – and maybe get an autograph or two. If you ask for any more reasons, expect a few odd looks. “’Cause, look at him. Who wouldn’t want to be here?” asked Lauren Barber, 17, as she held up a freshly signed picture of cutie Mr. Murray. The event, the second annual Chad Michael Murray’s All Star Touchdown for Kids, raised $36,000 for two charities, Coastal Pop Warner League and Hunter’s Hope. Ms. Barber and her friends came from Raleigh. But others traveled farther. Kay Clevenger drove daughter Katelyn Crouch from Dallas, Texas, as a 15th birthday present. Nineteen-year-old Kyle Whitmayer came from Philadelphia. “I got James (Lafferty) to talk to my daughter,” said Cindy Adams of Wilmington as she held up a cell phone. She and her husband, Bill, were a bit older than the rest of the crowd (Ms. Adams would only say that she was in her mid-40s), but they’ve become fans as they’ve watched the cast filming downtown. Tickets to the event were $10. Postcards and T-shirts were on sale, and other donations came in from event sponsors. The money raised will be split evenly between Coastal Pop Warner and Hunter’s Hope, an organization founded by former Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly to find a cure for Krabbe leukodystrophy after his son was diagnosed with the nervous system disease. “Jim Kelly is one of my idols,” said Mr. Murray, who is a native of Buffalo, N.Y. “And I wanted to play in Pop Warner growing up but my family didn’t have money, and I couldn’t afford the equipment.” Mr. Murray said he hopes the fund-raiser will allow more kids to play football. Jeff Stokley, Coastal Pop Warner president, said the league has grown from 13 teams five years ago to 37 football teams and 34 cheerleading squads. Other stars who came out to support the charities included OTH parents Paul Johansson, Barbara Alyn Woods and General Hospital’s Ryan Carnes. Two local actor with roles on OTH, Brett Claywell and Vaughan Wilson, were also doing their part to please the fans. Cast and crew of the show divided into teams for the flag-football game that ended the event. For the first three-quarters, the score was 20-0, with Mr. Murray’s team on the losing side. Fortunately, they managed to score 16 points in the fourth quarter. “At least there’s a score on the board,” said Greg Prange, series producer and coach of his team. “We’d have a really hard time living down a goose egg.” Mr. Murray wasn’t too discouraged about the loss. “The kids won,” he said. “That’s exactly right.” http://www.starnewsonline.com/apps/p...3188367995531\

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