SEALs, fraternity partner to raise awareness, funds

Louisiana Tech football fans and the Ruston community can help families of wounded and fallen U.S. Navy SEALs through an event coordinated by Tech’s Kappa Sigma Fraternity.

The fraternity is partnering with the SEAL Legacy Foundation to raise money and awareness for the SEALs and their families.

A SEAL Legacy Foundation sky dive team will bring the game ball into Joe Aillet Stadium for the Bulldogs season opener Aug. 31against Nicholls State University.

Honoring the nation’s wounded veterans is one of the fraternity’s philanthropies. The fraternity has set a $30,000 goal for its Military Heroes Campaign.

“I’d like to blow that out of the water,” Kendal Glover, Kappa Sigma’s philanthropy chairman said.

Already, the chapter’s raised slightly more than the $8,500 needed to pay for the jump.

It’s offering event sponsorships ranging from $5,000 to $500. Mathis Construction, of Ruston, is the event’s title sponsor. Individual donations of any size are welcome and can be made by visiting https://tinyurl.com/82pzyjpv.

Glover said opportunities to donate will also be available at the stadium on gameday.

He called donating to the effort a win-win for the fraternity in its competition with other chapters, for Tech, for Ruston and the SEALs.

“I think (the SEALs) are risking it all. It’s the least we can do to help the wounded and the families,” the senior finance major said.

The SEAL Legacy offers scholarships; grants that support health costs, living expenses, child resiliency and educational needs, and other issues arising from frequent deployments and inherently dangerous work of the SEALs; brain health and trauma treatment of issues arising from combat.