Adult Kickball Game Raises Hundreds For Harvey Victims On Labor Day
METHUEN (CBS) -- At age 37, Wander Morel said he had not played kickball in decades.
Then what brought Wander and almost 50 other adults onto a ball field to play a kids game? A good cause.
On Labor Day, dozens of people in Methuen showed up to participate in a kickball tournament and raise money for the victims of Hurricane Harvey.
The fundraiser was the idea of David Washington, a Houston native living in Andover.
"Physically, the majority of my family are doing well. For a mental and emotional standpoint, the hurricane and the actual disaster, the wreckage, has been a toll on them," said Washington.
About 85 percent of Washington's family lives in Houston.
"My cousin Marcus, and his wife and three children, they have lost all of their actual possession," he told WBZ-TV.
When he decided he wanted to do something to help, Washington enlisted the help of his Oracle co-worker Nelson Castillo, who decided kickball would be the best family friendly sport.
After using Facebook to get the word out, Castillo said he was blown away by those who came to support the fundraiser.
"I appreciate it so much," he said. "I maybe know two or three people here and the rest is just locals from the community, which is awesome, I feel very blessed."
The fee to join the tournament was $5 but many left larger donations.
Overall, more than $500 in cash was raised.
They plan to donate the proceeds to a charity started by Houston Texans defensive end, JJ Watt.
