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Contact: Todd Cohen, University Relations, (785) 864-8858.

Tailgaters invited to purchase historic Jayhawk T-shirt, raise funds for victims

LAWRENCE -- Tailgaters at Saturday's University of Kansas football game are invited to help raise funds for families of victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks by purchasing the new T-shirt featuring the spirited Jayhawk mascot of 1941 to 1946.

The university unveiled the T-shirt -- which features the historic Jayhawk along with the U.S. flag and the phrase "United We Stand" -- earlier this month. All proceeds from sales of the $10 T-shirts will go to the Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund for children and spouses of the victims. Since the historic Jayhawk T-shirt was unveiled, 3,000 shirts have been sold.

Members of KU's women's rowing team will show off and sell the T-shirts in the designated tailgating areas from 10 a.m. until game time. KU plays the University of Missouri at 1 p.m.

"The entire university is behind this project, and we are proud to involve our student-athletes once again in raising money for the disaster relief effort," said Allen Bohl, KU athletics director. "We hope our fans will show their support."

Under Kansas Board of Regents and university policies, people may consume alcohol at university-sponsored fund-raising events. When tailgating was initiated at KU football games this fall, participants were encouraged to donate to a "Proud to be a Jayhawk" fund. Initially, the fund was earmarked to support the KU Marching Band; however, the designation changed to the Families of Freedom Fund after the Sept. 11 tragedy and a Big 12 Conference request that athletic events support the relief effort.

The historic Jayhawk T-shirt also is available at the KU Bookstores in the Kansas and Burge unions and jayhawks.com; the KU Bookstore on the Edwards Campus in Overland Park; the KU Medical Center Bookstore in Kansas City, Kan., and kumedbooks.com; and the KU Athletic Corp.'s Web site. The shirt also will be for sale at kustore.com locations at Memorial Stadium during football games and at Allen Fieldhouse during basketball games.

Former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole, who attended KU in 1941, and former President Bill Clinton are co-chairs of the Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund. Founded by the Citizens' Scholarship Foundation of America and the Lumina Foundation for Education, the fund will support scholarships for children and spouses of firefighters and police officers, flight crews and passengers, and World Trade Center and Pentagon workers who were victims of the attack.

Organizers of the scholarship fund hope to raise at least $100 million nationally for victims' family members to use at public or private colleges and universities and trade and vocational schools. Click here for more information about the Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund. Prairie Graphics of Lawrence printed the KU T-shirt. The design is by the KU Office of University Relations, in cooperation with the KU Office of Trademark Licensing.

Click here for information about the Jayhawk.