NORFOLK, Va. - Two church congregations came together Sunday to award special collegiate jackets to football players from six area high schools.
Operation Legacy was organized by The Mount Global Fellowship of Churches and hosted at Norfolk State University's Wilder Performing Arts Center.
Participating football programs came from Suffolk and Portsmouth and included 250 athletes from I.C. Norcom High School, Manor High School, Churchland High School, Lakeland High School, Kings Fork High School and Nansemond River High School.
The event started with a church service that led to each player receiving their specialized sport coat with their school's logo.
Pastor Karl Wilkins of The Mount Suffolk says the jackets symbolize unity and professionalism.
Wilkins tells News 3 that $24,000 was fundraised to pay for the jackets in the hopes they'll serve as a reminder of the opportunities to come should the athletes stay on a path of leadership.
“17 churches, we had businesses, nonprofit organizations (fundraising)," he said. "It was just a phenomenal opportunity for the community to show the next generation that there is a village that stands behind you, especially with what’s going on in our community with the gang violence, the gun violence."
According to Wilkins, the jackets were purchased from Philip Michael Fashion for Men and he says the business measured each athlete individually.
He also says the plan is for the jackets to be passed down as kids graduate and others enter into the high schools in the hopes of creating a legacy of faith, unity and leadership for years to come.
