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5/28_softball
UNM head softball coach Erica Beach holds a flyer Wednesday afternoon seeking donations to aid those affected by Monday's massive tornado in Moore, Okla. Also pictured is former Lobo football player Derek Watson. Those wishing to donate money to the cause can do so at www.GoFundMe.com/lobos4okc.

Lobo softball gathering donations for tornado victims

assistantsports@dailylobo.com
@JROppenheim

Erica Beach was in Oklahoma City in 2002 playing in the Women’s College World Series with Arizona State. Beach, New Mexico’s softball coach, will return to the area next week, providing assistance to those suffering the effects of Monday’s massive tornado.

Beach and the Lobo softball program kicked off a donation drive Wednesday morning to assist in relief efforts after the tornado hit Moore, Okla., located south of Oklahoma City. The Associated Press reports the tornado killed 24 people and damage could be as high as $2 billion.

“Like everyone else out there, I was glued to the TV on Monday watching the horror unfold before our eyes, really,” Beach said. “At that time, I just felt compelled to do something. I didn’t know what, I didn’t know how much I could do.”

The program is accepting donations ranging from bottled water, non-perishable food items, blankets, diapers, work gloves, pet foot and any other item that can assist victims. An online donation page has also been created at www.GoFundMe.com/lobos4okc.

Donations are being collected at the UNM Softball Field facility located south of The Pit, and can be dropped off from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Friday, 9 a.m. to noon Saturday through Monday, and again from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. May 28-30. The donations will be loaded onto trucks May 30 and will depart for Oklahoma the following morning.

In the first four hours, the drive filled roughly half of the team’s locker room and $400 was collected on the online site. Former Lobo football player Derek Watson, who is assisting the drive, said the goal is to reach $5,000.

“The people who have come out here have been just thankful they have an opportunity to give,” Beach said. “They were in the same boat as us as far as wanting to help and not sure how. They appreciate the opportunity to give to this cause.”

Oklahoma City hosts the annual Women’s College World Series at the Amateur Softball Association Hall of Fame Stadium. Given the region’s close connections to softball, Beach said it holds a place in her heart.

“We’re just so happy to help. Bottom line is we’re all human and we’re all here to help each other,” she said. “That’s really what it comes down to.”

Watson also has connections to the area. Two of Watson’s former teammates, Kyle Coulter and John Oliver, live near the disaster zone. Watson said Oliver’s home was directly in the tornado’s path and Coulter, a Forest Park Fire Department volunteer firefighter, searched for survivors. Both Oliver and Coulter were safe, Watson said, though Coulter was “visibly shaken.”

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“He (Coulter) spent the entire night as part of the volunteer fire force literally pulling survivors and other bodies out of the rubble,” Watson said. “He was just so enamored with what we were doing and he just wants to be a part of it 100 percent when we get there.”

What: Lobo Softball, the Lobo Athletics Department and the University are accepting donations for victims of the May 20 tornado that struck central Oklahoma

Where: Donations should be brought to the Lobo Softball Field (south of The Pit, accessed via Sunshine Terrace Southeast off University Boulevard)

When: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., May 22-24; 9 a.m. to noon, May 25-27; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., May 28-30
Items needed: Bottled/sealed water, non-perishable food items, individually wrapped snacks, toiletries, blankets, wipes, diapers, work gloves, boxes (for hauling donations), dog and cat food; any items that can assist victims. Cash donations also will be accepted and used to purchase water.

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