Utah Blaze Assist Efforts To End Homelessness

The Utah Blaze completed its second annual “Coats for the Cold” charity by delivering a substantial quantity of donated clothing to The Road Home Shelter on Thursday, December 20th. Players, Dancers and Coaches were all in attendance as the franchise contributed to the shelter’s efforts during its 18th annual Holiday Radio-a-Thon, which aims to end homelessness in Salt Lake City.
With the help of its sponsors, Costa Vida Restaurants, Chick-fil-A at South Towne Marketplace, Meadowbrook Station Apartments, and Arrow Moving & Storage, the Utah Blaze gathered clothing to be donated to The Road Home Shelter during the months of November and December. The franchise placed donation bins at sponsor locations around Salt Lake City for six weeks before collecting the items and delivering them to the shelter.
The Holiday Radio-a-Thon is annually conducted to raise funds for The Road Home as it strives to end homelessness and assist those in need. In addition to making a donation, Head Coach Ron James and Offensive Line Coach Ron McBride visited nine local radio stations for several hours, encouraging listeners to support The Road Home by making a donation.
At the same time, Utah Blaze players, dancers and mascot Torch spent time with children at The Road Home’s family center. Attendance included WR Aaron Lesué, DB David Hyland, OL Antonio Narcisse, OL Darryl Hicks, as well as Blaze Dancers Allie, Shelby, Kaylie, Mack, Alisha, Ashley and Kenzie.
“Going to the Road Home family center was a great experience,” said Hyland “My favorite part was playing with the kids who are currently residing there. It was nice to see that regardless of their family’s present circumstance, kids are still kids. They were laughing, playing, and having a great time. Hopefully they enjoyed it as much as we did.”
“I’m very thankful we had the opportunity to contribute to such an important cause,” said Head Coach Ron James. “We strive to represent this city to the best of our ability and we feel it is our responsibility to help make our community a better place. I’m honored to work with a first-class organization such as a Road Home, and proud of the way our sponsors, fans, players and dancers all contributed to helping those in need.”
The Road Home began in 1923 as Travelers' Aid Society, operating out of a local bus depot and providing assistance to stranded travelers and other disconnected persons. In 2001, they changed their name to The Road Home to better reflect their mission. The Road Home has since grown to become the state's largest homeless shelter.