Cheerleading groups raise over $22,000 for children of parents killed in plane crash
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IDAHO FALLS — When a local cheerleading group learned the parents of three of their competitors had been killed in a plane crash, they decided to do something.
Heather Lopez, co-owner of Idaho Inferno Competitive Cheer, worked as a coach for Mindy Clayton at Idaho Falls Elite Allstars for almost 10 years.
Clayton’s sister, Heidi Summers, was one of four people who died in the crash earlier this month. Summers husband, Brook, along with Jerry “David” Anderson and Jessica Anderson, were killed when their plane went down north of Alpine, Wyoming, near Palisades Reservoir.
The Summers children were athletes with Idaho Falls Elite Allstars.
When the crash happened, Lopez’s cheerleaders and others from across the country were preparing for the American Celebration Championship in Salt Lake City.
“I began communicating with Kristin Jones, another cheer program director, from Idaho Cheer in Boise,” Lopez tells EastIdahoNews.com. “We decided we would do a coin collection during an all awards presentations throughout the weekend.”
Lopez says Idaho Inferno coaches attended every award presentation on March 18 and 19 and raised over $5,000 for the Summer’s children. That money was donated to a fund for the kids at Zions Bank.
RELATED: FUND ESTABLISHED FOR CHILDREN OF PARENTS KILLED IN PLANE CRASH
Meanwhile, UPA, a Utah gym, orchestrated a t-shirt drive where participants donated money and became “United in Pink.”
“The Salt Palace definitely turned pink for the weekend showing the solidarity within the all-star cheer industry,” Lopez says.
The t-shirt drive and coin collection brought in more than $22,000 with every penny going to the Summer’s children.
RELATED: FUND ESTABLISHED FOR ANDERSON CHILDREN AFTER PARENTS KILLED IN PLANE CRASH
“It was amazing to see the outpouring of love and support from the entire cheer industry,” Lopez says. “We were able to put winning and losing to the side for a moment and everybody was able to focus on coming together for those in need.”