Flordia/Alaska Connection

I want to share with all of you a story of a connection between my home here in St. Johns County, Florida, and Barrow, Alaska. Earlier in the year a mother of a local high school football player here in St. Johns County saw an ESPN special about the newly organized Barrow football team, which was formed last year as part of a dropout prevention strategy. The mother, Cathy Parker, watched footage of the team playing just a hundred yards from the Arctic Ocean on a gravel field that put the players at risk for injuries. She was so moved by the story and struggles of the Barrow Whalers that she started a drive to raise funds to provide the team with an artificial turf.
"People think we have nothing in common with them, but that's wrong," Parker said. "We have the most important thing in common and that is our sons.
Because of Parker’s initiative, Project Alaska has been formed to raise $500,000 for the artificial field. And last month the Barrow team was able to travel to Florida to practice with the local high school team – and frolic on the beach in their spare time. (They were surprised at how quickly you can get sunburned!)
If you would like to see some inspiring pictures, videos and fascinating articles about the Barrow team and Project Alaska, go to this website and follow the links:
http://www.projectalaskaturf.com/index.html