Teacher raises enough to outfit all kids at Seattle school with Seahawks jerseys
Jan 16, 2014, 10:31 AM | Updated: 4:14 pm
At Zelko's school - Blue Friday is like spirit day. When the Seahawks are playing a lot of the kids wear Seahawks jerseys, as encouraged by the school. Zelko is raising money to get jerseys for the kids who can't have them - so that everyone can share their spirit on Friday. (AP Photo/File)
(AP Photo/File)
All the kids at Kimball Elementary school in Seattle will get a Seahawks jersey for Blue Friday.
Special education teacher Kevin Zelko, who’s also a beer vendor at CenturyLink Field, started a campaign Monday after the Saints game to help raise money to get 30-40 jerseys for disadvantaged kids at the school.
“There’s always a bunch (of students) who have jerseys on, but there is always a crew that doesn’t,” Zelko told KIRO Radio’s Morning News.
He started talking to his friends, who said they’d also buy some for the kids. Then his mom chipped in, and when he finally posted about what he was doing on Facebook, “Someone said, ‘Why don’t you use GoFundMe.com?’ And then it really took off.”
The goal was a $1,000 and Zelko figured he’d be able to buy about 15 jerseys. But when word got out, his $400 turned into $5,000 overnight. The account was at $6,500 Thursday afternoon, but that all changed when the Ron and Don Show got wind of the movement.
Listener Greg Kero and his team at work, Ragnar Wealth, will cover the cost of the remaining jerseys, which Zelko estimates to be about another $9,000.
Greg said he believes everyone should have access to being a sports fan, something that’s becoming more and more expensive these days.
MyNorthwest.com’s Alyssa Kleven contributed to this report.
