CARTERVILLE, ILLINOIS (WSIL) --Â High school football kicks off Friday night. It's an exciting time in southern Illinois and now coaches are coming together to uplift one of their own by participating in a special project.
Those who visit Carterville will notice something new at the concession stand, but it won't be food. There will be a blue box with a white label reading "The Walker Borum Foundation."
Baby Walker passed away on August 13th of last year.
His mother, Andrea Borum, spent part of her career teaching at Carterville. Her Dad is Kerry Martin, a coaching legend in the region spending several years as Head Coach at Carterville and now Marion.
Money donated in the blue box will go to books. Those will be donated to SIH Memorial Hospital in Carbondale so each baby born there can go home with one.
Khrissy Hollister, a family friend, came up with the idea for these donation boxes and was able to wrangle locals in the community to make it happen.
Charlie and Linda Hogg of Charlies Air Conditioning and Heating donated the money for the supplies. While local Rotarian Jerry Humble constructed 27 boxes in just two weeks, an impressive accomplishment for a man in his mid-80's.
Hollister and her family put the final touches on the donation boxes, getting them painted. She hopes the Martin and Borum families can feel neighbors huddle around them.
"If it makes a dollar or $10,000 its a win because the family knows we love them, we're here for them, we want to help," she says. "I think any attention that the foundation gets is a win."
The goal is for these boxes to be at high school stadiums across southern Illinois. The first coach to jump on board is Brett Diel, the Head Coach and Assistant Principal at Carterville.
In Diel's high school days, Martin coached him and became a lifelong friend. He says this project is about uplifting a coach and his family, who have given so much of their time to football families.
"The idea is that it's not a competition amongst towns," he adds. "It's not a competition with different teams and what not. This is just the southern Illinois football community coming together trying to help a family that's done a lot for us."
Boxes can be found at Carterville, Marion, Herrin, Harrisburg, Du Quoin, Salem and Fairfield. High schools interested in participating can reach out to coach Diel for a donation box.Â
In addition to cash donations, there will be a scannable QR code so visitors can donate with their smart phones.Â