JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – With football season underway, a local non-profit is stressing the importance of helmet safety in youth sports.
The Tony Meduri TBI Fund, Inc. is kicking off a new campaign this year, called ‘Play It, Protect It.’ The mission of the campaign is to raise awareness about youth brain injuries.
Anne-Marie Tucker, the founder and President of the Tony Meduri TBI Fund, Inc., came up with the campaign idea after her sons started showing more interest in contact sports.
“As a mother of two boys who love sports, I found the struggle between allowing them to play these contact sports and protecting their brain,” explained Tucker.
Tucker founded the non-profit in honor of her father after he suffered a life-altering brain injury and later died. For years, she’s been raising awareness about traumatic brain injuries and decided to expand her reach this year to young athletes.
“I particularly have a ten-year-old son who has been begging me to play any type of football and knowing what I know about TBI, the work and education I’ve put into it, I couldn’t let that happen without trying to do some type of education or awareness about TBI,” explained Tucker.
According to the non-profit, nearly 2 million youth concussions happen every year from playing sports. Through the campaign, Tucker hopes to reduce those injuries, using the funds to work with local schools on education and prevention. In the future, Tucker told News4Jax they hope to be able to purchase high-quality helmets for students in our area.
To donate, you can visit the Tony Meduri TBI Fund, Inc. website. You can also purchase ‘Play It, Protect It’ apparel online to support the campaign.