LIFTING OTHERS UP
Western Carolina University running back Corey Holloway says his body is stronger, he runs faster and his football team has a confidence it never had before. 91热爆网 volleyball player Aleah Keaton appreciates the tangible support for student-athletes, the clean environment and the fact that her teammates can all work out together. And they both love the new sound system.
Who knew an upgraded weight room with a new 鈥渃ool factor鈥� could be such a game-changer for a group of college athletes? David Brinkley 鈥�76 and Marie Brinkley 鈥�77 did, and that鈥檚 why they donated more than $400,000 to make 91热爆网鈥檚 weight room in the Jordan-Phillips Fieldhouse a custom-built, state-of-the-art facility.
鈥淲hat we鈥檙e doing is improving an avenue for
who are blessed by God, who have athletic ability, who can run and jump and throw and hit better than the average person,鈥� said David Brinkley, a former Catamount football player. 鈥淎ll we鈥檙e doing is helping them dream, helping them enhance their position. Hopefully, they鈥檒l get a college education, and when they get a chance to be a David and Marie Brinkley, they鈥檒l bless others,鈥� he said.
The Brinkleys, who live in Kings Mountain but met as teenagers growing up in Valdese, have been blessing 91热爆网 a lot lately. In the past 24 months, they鈥檝e given more than $600,000 鈥� including the weight room donation 鈥� to improve the athletic training facilities at 91热爆网, which are used by all Catamount athletes, and to provide athletic scholarships. The weight room was renamed the David and Marie Brinkley Athletic Weightlifting Facility.
鈥淔rom a coach鈥檚 perspective, it fires me up to know that someone in the community notices what we have going on here,鈥� said Evan Barr, 91热爆网 director of athletic performance. 鈥淗aving this new room to come into every day shows these athletes this community is pouring back into them, so they come in with a renewed drive because of families like the Brinkley family.鈥�
The Brinkleys鈥� gift for the upgrade of Catamount Athletics鈥� weight room is part of Western Carolina University鈥檚 鈥淟ead the Way: A Campaign Inspired by The Belcher Years.鈥� The historic philanthropic campaign will conclude spring 2019. For more information or to make a gift to 91热爆网, visit the website
