Earlier this spring, Kirby Smart was the guest of honor at the Anderson, S.C., Touchdown Club, and the organization was prepared to pay him $2,500 for his appearance, meet-and-greet, and speech.
But Georgia’s coach had other plans for that money.
According to Lake Morris of the Anderson Independent Mail, Smart requested that the money be donated to a charity or non-profit in Anderson.
Smart spoke at the Anderson TD Club’s year-end meeting on Feb. 28, and just about two months later, the Calvary Children’s Home was the beneficiary of the generosity of the coach of the Bulldogs.
“That was a tremendous night,” said Bill Brissey, president of the Anderson Touchdown Club. “We had over 600 people come listen to Coach Smart. We had a lot of people who sold ads and raised money for this occasion.”
Calvary is a children’s foster home that currently is able to serve anywhere from 16-22 children at a time. The Anderson TD Club presented Calvary with the $2,500 donation on Tuesday, ahead of the home’s annual Leave Your Mark Fundraiser, which is on Thursday night.
Calvary director Greg Skipper said the donation from Smart and the Anderson TD Club and the funds raised on Thursday will go toward two new homes on the Calvary campus, with the long-term goal being six new homes. Each home usually can serve five or six children.
“Our goal is to build the homes, make them beautiful, and offer them to families who are committed to fostering,” Skipper said. “This check will be a great boost to encourage others to give as well. Every penny helps. We have always said that at Calvary, and this is a lot of pennies.”
You can view a photo gallery of Smart’s appearance at the Anderson Touchdown Club as well as designs for Calvary’s new homes here.