AAU Cares: AAU National Office Brings Clothes, Water and Non-Perishable Items to Those Impacted by Hurricane Harvey

HOUSTON, Texas (August 30, 2017) – National staff members from the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) will return to Houston, home of the 50th annual AAU Junior Olympic Games in 2016, to bring more than 10,000 items of clothing, dozens of cases of bottled water and various non-perishable items to those impacted by Hurricane Harvey.

“Our hearts go out to everyone in the greater Houston area,” said Dr. Roger J. Goudy, AAU President/CEO. “Houston is one of five cities on rotation to host the AAU Junior Olympic Games and we have more than 11,000 members in the AAU Gulf District. As an organization, we send our thoughts and prayers to all who have been affected, including the first responders and citizen volunteers directing the ongoing search and rescue efforts.” 

More than 15,000 athletes traveled to Houston for last year’s AAU Junior Olympic Games, the largest multi-sport event for youth in the United States, in Aug. 2016. Many of the clothing items that will be distributed are from the 2016 Games.

The 12-day event featured many of the 17 national sports competitions at Houston’s George R. Brown Convention Center, which has since become an emergency shelter for Harvey evacuees. Similarly, Humble High School, home of AAU’s marquee track and field event in 2016, has postponed school to Tuesday, Sept. 5 due to concerns about flooded roadways.

How to Donate
As part of its AAU Cares initiative to give back to the community, the AAU is encouraging its 700,000 members nationwide to donate to AAUCares4Houston by mailing a check payable to AAU to P.O. Box 22409, Lake Buena Vista, Fla. 32830 or donate directly to organizations such as the American Red Cross,AmeriCares or Salvation Army.

ABOUT THE AAU:
The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is one of the largest- non-profit volunteer sports organizations in the country. As a multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports programs. Founded in 1888 to establish standards and uniformity in sports, the AAU philosophy of “Sports For All, Forever” is now shared by nearly 700,000 members and 150,000 volunteers across 35 sports programs and 55 U.S. districts. For more information, visit www.aausports.org.