Watching the news of the Virginia Tech tragedy unfold from another college campus, College of William & Mary students Katie Broaddus and Jessica Kacerek were deeply saddened and concerned.
For Broaddus, growing up in Centreville and graduating from Centreville High in 2005 made the day's events hit hard and close to home. Although neither student knew any of the victims personally, the two friends and field hockey teammates wanted to do something in support of Virginia Tech to show that they weren’t alone.
“KATIE SENT me a text message and asked what I thought about creating a T-shirt to show Virginia Tech that the William & Mary community was with them,” said Kacerek. “I thought it was a great idea and that it was definitely feasible.”
With the help of Colonial Sports in Williamsburg, a maroon T-shirt was designed with the Virginia Tech logo and William & Mary tribe feathers on the front, and a message saying, “Today we are all Hokies. April 16, 2007,” on the back. Broaddus thought that 150 of these T-shirts would be enough, but Colonial Sports believed the demand would be much greater.
Colonial Sports was correct and the first 150 T-shirts were sold in less than 15 minutes. To date, more than 3,000 T-shirts have been sold. The proceeds, which now equal more than $6,000 will go to the Virginia Tech Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund, where the money will be used to help the victims’ families with counseling and other needs.
“I never dreamed it would get this big,” says Broaddus. “Being able to give $6,000 to the families of the victims is just a great feeling.” William & Mary students, Virginia Tech alumni, local citizens, and faculty and staff have all contributed by purchasing the $10 T-shirts.
“We’re all in college and we know this could happen anywhere. When I wear this T-shirt it is a subtle message that lets Virginia Tech know that we feel for them,” says Kacerek. “The T-shirts and donations wouldn’t have been successful if it wasn’t how everyone else here felt too.”
AS FOR BROADDUS, she says that raising $6,000 would not have been possible without the hard work from Colonial Sports as well as from fellow field hockey team members. Volunteers drove all over Virginia to bring back large supplies of maroon T-shirts, and the field hockey team was extremely helpful by dedicating hours to help sell the T-shirts when the lines went out the door of William & Mary’s University Center.
“The bottom line is that this tragedy could have happened anywhere,” says Broaddus, “and that’s why it’s so important to be in this together.”
If interested in purchasing a $10 T-shirt, go to: Hokietribe@colonialsportscustom.com.