BY Sarah Sinclair
Special to the Tuscaloosa News
Reaching out to the community
One Alabama Football player shows how his faith and talents can extend past the gridiron through reaching out to community members and getting his hands dirty while volunteering in the weeks following the April 27 tornado that destroyed many areas of Tuscaloosa.
Weeks prior to the April 27 tornado, William Strickland had been feeling led to reach out the less fortunate communities in Tuscaloosa. “ Of course God was pulling me toward these areas. He was preparing my heart for what was about to come ” he said. “ God is pulling me to now continue these relationships and connections I have made with community members.”
Strickland has been impressed with the way the entire community has come together to rebuild Tuscaloosa. He thinks it is important that people realize that everyone is capable of helping in this time of need. “I have come to realize that talking to people who have been affected can help more than anything else ” he said. If you don’t have money to donate or the ability to do manual labor, Strickland wants volunteers to know that nothing can compare to companionship.
Hometown
Although Strickland is an engineering major, a Tuscaloosa Young Life Leader and a member of the Alabama football team, Tuscaloosa is not just his “college town”. Tuscaloosa is home. A Tuscaloosa native who attended Northridge High School, Strickland has felt many different emotions in the after math of the April 27 tornado that took 43 lives in his hometown of Tuscaloosa. “This is my city, and it’s never going to be the same. I want to help rebuild my city” he said.
Not only is Strickland helping in the rebuilding process, he serves as a mentor to the youth in Tuscaloosa through Young Life, which is a non denominational Christian organization in which young adults serve as mentors, leaders, and friends to high school students.
As a Young Life Leader, Strickland knew how vital the help of Tuscaloosa'a youth could be, and this proved to be true the day after the tornado. Strickland was getting phone calls from high school students in the area wanting to volunteer. “I had guys calling that had tarps to donate, chainsaws to use, and one day I had 24 high school students from the Tuscaloosa area with me helping in affected areas” he said.
More than an Athlete
“William is a man of God, and takes every opportunity to use his talents to further the kingdom of God both on and off of the football field” said Casey Collins, a fellow Young Life Leader in Tuscaloosa.
Being a member of University of Alabama’s football team has allowed Strickland to not only show his determination and athletic drive on the football field but also as a volunteer in the community after the tornado hit. The football team and coaches have been in the Holt community helping with the rebuilding of Keene Street. Coach Saban has personally donated money to rebuild this street.
Although he doesn’t think the city will ever be the same again, he is excited to see what the future holds for his hometown of Tuscaloosa.