On top of a tough game last Saturday in Fayetteville which saw the Vols suffer an upset 19-14 loss at the hand of the Arkansas Razorbacks, many Tennessee players and fans still had their minds on the tragedies caused by Hurricane Helene.
Hurricane Helene brought Western North Carolina and East Tennessee some of the worst flooding and damage the areas have ever seen. Many towns and communities will take years to rebuild what has been lost.
Multiple Tennessee players grew up east of Knoxville and showed determination to give back to the communities they care about.
Junior tight end Charlie Browder, a native of Kingsport, TN, was walking off the practice field on the Tuesday before Arkansas when he had an idea. In a recent video posted on Tennessee’s social media accounts, Browder spoke more about his idea to help hurricane victims.
“With where our athletic department is right now, I thought, man, we can do a lot of good for a lot of people by putting something with the Power T behind it,” Browder said in the feature video. “So I thought, why not start something where we can use our influence as a football program first to push for donations and get more national eyes on this region and this footprint. To get the help that all these people in east Tennessee, southwest Virginia, and west North Carolina need. Initially, I was walking off the practice field Tuesday and just the thought popped in my head that we should get a helmet sticker to help these people.”
a simple idea can make a true impact @charliebrowder
Support disaster-relief efforts by shopping the #MountainStrong collection
VolShop » https://t.co/4tSgAuf3sp pic.twitter.com/YSha2f2coQ
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) October 8, 2024
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The Vols debuted the helmet sticker on Saturday vs Arkansas. The “Mountain Strong” decal is a symbol for everyone impacted by the storm and has drawn a lot of attention to those in need. The Vol Shop partnered with the idea and has begun selling pre-orders for t-shirts, a hat, and a sticker with “all proceeds [going] to organizations helping with hurricane relief.”
Another Vol who showed the Volunteer spirit and a passion to help others was senior offensive lineman Dayne Davis. The Bluff City, TN, native shared more about his efforts in a press conference on Monday.
“I was able to go, [Sunday], back to Neva, Tennessee, just above Mountain City,” Davis said during his press conference. “Which is probably a good two-and-a-half, two-and-45 minutes, it’s a good little drive. But we took about 4,000 to 4,500 dollars worth of groceries and other items that were needed … There are a lot of people that need help, it is really sad to see what’s come to the region, so I’m just trying to use my platform to help people back home. If there are people out there able to donate, there are people who really need it.”
Davis was emotional when sharing about the impact the storm had on his hometown and showed genuine thankfulness for the donations they had received. As of today, Davis has raised over 9,500 dollars for victims through a separate GoFundMe page he set up. On the GoFundMe’s web page, Davis wrote more about what his home means to him.
“This area means so much to me and fostered who I am today, even though I have no direct relation to many of these people, the people of this community have greatly impacted my life,” the page states. “I am launching a GoFundMe to hopefully assist in relief efforts in the counties of Unicoi, Carter, Washington, and Greene. I will use these donations to personally purchase items for those in need and deliver items to churches and other disaster relief donation sites such as Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee”.
Tennessee OL Dayne Davis (Bluff City, TN) delivers a powerful message about the hurricane and flood impact in the Tennessee and North Carolina regions. pic.twitter.com/Wj7IQOInHK
— Rocky Top Insider (@rockytopinsider) October 7, 2024
It is amazing to see athletes in today’s era of NIL and social media representation using that platform to spread positivity and help those who need it. Browder and Davis’s efforts toward victims will have a widespread impact on so many who need it and inspire future athletes to do the same. The true Volunteer spirit runs deeply through this year’s Tennessee football team.
