A new foundation is banking on the buzz surrounding Saturday's football showdown against the University of Miami to generate support for a fundraiser this week.
The Make a Play Foundation, a nonprofit charity made up of former UF, UM and Florida State University football players, kicked off the first leg of a three-part fundraiser Sunday that will last until Saturday's game, said Alecia Pynn, executive director of the foundation.
The events, dubbed the Rivals Challenge, will correspond with the football rivalries between the three universities this football season, Pynn said.
Fans can go online to the foundation's Web site and donate money to their school's side of the cause. The first of these fundraisers, the Gators vs. Hurricanes challenge, will end Friday at 5 p.m., according to a news release.
The winner of the challenge will be announced before the game Saturday morning. Money raised before the game will benefit Habitat for Humanity chapters at each school.
Some former UF players supporting the foundation, which was established in November 2007, include Chris Doering, Earnest Graham, Shane Matthews and Terry Jackson. Jackson is also the organization's co-founder.
As of Monday, Miami was in the lead with $5,539 in donations, according to the foundation's Web site. Gainesville trailed behind at $3,105.
The ultimate goal is to raise $60,000 for a Habitat home in Gainesville and another $60,000 for a home in Miami, Pynn said.
"The game will be over in a week, but then this house will last decades," she said.
Paul Loschak, president of UF's Habitat for Humanity chapter, said if the goal is met, UF members of Habitat for Humanity will build a new home in the spring.
For each new home, the homeowner or family of homeowners pays $80,000 on a zero-interest, 20-year mortgage and is required to put in 400 service hours, Loschak said.
