The United States Air Force Academy Head Football Coach and His Family Are Assisting Children During the COVID-19 Pandemic
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO.— Nathan “Troy” Calhoun, United States Air Force Academy head football coach, along with his wife, Amanda, and their children, have joined Compassion International’s Fill The StadiumTeam —along with professional athletes and national leaders—to help children around the globe during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fill The Stadium has a clear goal over the next 12 months: to provide aid to 70,000 children in Compassion International’s programs who missed out on relief this year due to gaps of support created by the COVID-19 crisis. The target of 70,000 is the average capacity of pro-football stadiums in America. Fill The Stadium leaders hope that fans who normally would have spent money on professional sports games this year—but couldn’t—choose instead to support underprivileged kids and their families.
Said Nathan “Troy” Calhoun, head football coach at the United States Air Force Academy, “A faith-based person wants to see others grow. It just takes one or two of us to have influence.”
The entire Calhoun family is participating in the Fill The Stadium initiative. Amanda Calhoun explained, “It is important for Troy and I to give back, but it is even more important that we have this as a legacy for our children to continue.”
Troy Calhoun echoed that sentiment and proudly stated, “To see the passion, drive and commitment our daughter and son have in their need to help others – that makes me proud as a Dad.”
Fill The Stadium team leaders—Santiago “Jimmy” Mellado, CEO and president of Compassion International, and Steve Stenstrom, president of Pro Athletes Outreach—have already received a strong assist from 37 athletes and leaders.
The Fill The Stadium team notes that $500—approximately the same amount most Americans would spend for four tickets to attend a pro-football game—will help provide 12 months of food, nutritional supplements, hygiene essentials, and COVID-19 medical screenings for children and families in crisis. So far, the group has “filled” over 16,000 seats—well on their way to the goal of helping 70,000 children.
Joining the Calhouns, Mellado and Stenstrom in the Fill The Stadium effort are such standout professional athletes as Dakota Dozier of the Minnesota Vikings; Alyssa Naeher of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team; Nate Solder of the New York Giants and many others. These elite athletes understand that their leadership and participation can help bring much-needed attention to this worthy cause.
In this year of coronavirus, “We are all experiencing the reality of empty stadiums,” says the Fill The Stadium team. It’s why this effort so desperately needs a caring, prayerful and thoughtful community to join together in this needed relief.
To learn more, visit the Fill The Stadium website, and Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.