HAMPTON, Va. — Roses are often used to express love and affection, but the Hampton University men’s lacrosse team is now using roses to honor veterans.
“The 757 is a big veteran community. There’s a lot of veterans. So we want to pay them back for their hard work," HU men's lacrosse freshman Howard Casterlow said.
Casterlow’s connection to veterans goes beyond just the Hampton Roads community. It’s personal.
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“My dad’s a veteran, my mom’s a veteran. Cousins, aunts," Casterlow explained.
He’s proud to be part of the team’s new effort to collect money to purchase 26,000 roses, one for each veteran grave in the national cemeteries in Hampton Roads.
Some of the graves can be seen just outside the stadium where the team plays.
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Head coach Vincent Culpepper hopes to make this an annual event.
“We want the community to embrace us, so we feel like the best way to do that is to embrace the community that we’re in," Culpepper said.
The team is asking for donations of $10, which can be made online. A portion of each donation will be used to buy a rose and the rest will be used to help fund the team.
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“The one thing I think, overall, in life you don’t get back is time. I think to have a fundraiser where we provide our time, not just finances, I think is super important," HU men's lacrosse assistant coach Christopher Burke said.
Burke is a veteran. He and fellow assistant coach Rick Matthews hope the fundraiser can teach players about sacrifice, selflessness, and respect.
“A lot of people have come and gone and it is because of them that we are able to do, and exercise the rights and the freedoms, that we are today," Matthews said.
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“Putting a rose on a headstone of somebody that sacrificed a lot for this country and for us to play a game, for them to make that connection is huge," said Burke.
Donations will be collected until January 14 and will be placed on graves January 25.
