Both masters of skating and wobbly-legged beginners are invited to attend Skate Night, an upcoming charity benefit hosted by the University of Alabama student organization Circle K in honor of Jason McNeil, a Tuscaloosa man who was injured during an assault last July.
“We have put a lot of effort into publicizing the event, and we feel like it is going to be a huge hit,” Sarah Kidwell, Circle K fundraising chair, said. “We will be having a big reveal at the end of the night to show how much money we have raised.”
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McNeil is a member of the Kiwanis Club, Circle K’s parent organization and frequent partner. He suffered a head injury during an unprovoked attack outside of a Kid Rock concert in Buffalo, N.Y. The incident sent him into a coma for two weeks, and he required an emergency craniotomy to save his life, Circle K president Michael Moore said.
He is now undergoing physical therapy five days a week to regain mobility and speech. He was initially confined to a wheelchair before learning to walk again, Kidwell said. Before the attack, McNeil was president-elect of the Tuscaloosa Kiwanis chapter.
“Jason was the main source of income for his family, so this has placed a huge financial burden on them,” Moore said. “He also has two little girls that are now without the strong father figure that they had this time last year. I can’t imagine the amount of stress that this has placed on his wife and kids.”
All proceeds from the benefit will go to McNeil’s wife and his daughters to assist with the ongoing costs of his medical care, Kidwell said.
His wife, Pam McNeil, raised $47,000 after the attack through the online charity platform GiveForward. Donations from family, friends and strangers came from across the country, and Kid Rock himself gave $5,000 to support the cause, Moore said.
The GiveForward fundraising event ended in August, and the funds have since been largely depleted. Moore said Circle K is making an effort to replenish the amount available. The organization said it hopes to attract 300 to 350 participants to the event and raise around $2,500.
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“We chose skating because it is a fun event that the whole community can take part in,” Moore said. “We also wanted to make it something family friendly so that he would be able to come out and enjoy a night of fun with his entire family.”
The event is open to the public and will run from 6 to 9 p.m Wednesday at the Super Skate rink on McFarland Boulevard. Admission is $5 and includes the cost of skating.
“This event will help alleviate much of the stress that their family is currently going through, both financially and emotionally,” Moore said. “Just knowing that the whole community is there to give back to a man that dedicated his life to the service of Tuscaloosa would mean so much to him and his family.”
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