University of Tennessee Athletics
Help Barnes Back Local Kids in Charity Challenge
January 04, 2016 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 4, 2016
Tennessee basketball coach Rick Barnes is one of 48 high-profile Division I head coaches taking part in this year's NABC Infiniti Coaches' Charity Challenge. Barnes has partnered with the Knoxville-based Emerald Youth Foundation, which stands to win up to $100,000.
The mission of Emerald Youth Foundation is to raise up a large number of urban youth to love Jesus Christ and become effective leaders who help renew their communities. The foundation serves more than 1,500 children, teens and young adults each year through a network of churches and faith-based organizations in five youth and community zones. The three main programs are JustLead, Emerald Youth Sports and Emerald Youth Fellows.
"Emerald Youth Foundation is doing incredible work for children here in the Knoxville area," Barnes, who serves on the foundation's board of trustees, said. "They're not only helping our kids academically and in their health, but they're also helping them grow deeper in their faith and relationships. So this is a cause and an organization that Candy and I are passionate about."
To cast a vote in support of Barnes and the Emerald Youth Foundation, all fans need is an ESPN.com username and password (signing up is free). Voters can then log on to www.espn.com/infiniti, where they can vote once per day per email address.
Now in its sixth year, the Infiniti Coaches' Charity Challenge, consists of 48 NCAA Division I men's basketball coaches competing for fan votes in a four-round online bracket tournament that helps raise money for charities of the coaches' choice.
As an official corporate partner of the NCAA, Infiniti will make total donations throughout the competition of $349,000. As coaches advance throughout the competition, donations totaling $249,000 will be awarded to each of their charities of choice; the farther the coaches advance, the more money they raise. The final winning coach will receive a total of $100,000 to benefit his charity of choice.
The first round of voting runs Jan. 4-24.
To learn more about Emerald Youth Foundation, visit www.emeraldyouth.org
For the most up-to-date information about the Tennessee basketball program, visit UTsports.com/basketball and follow @Vol_Hoops on Twitter and Instagram.
