Zach Thomas headlines Heroes and Legends fundraiser event for The Bridge

Michael Cuviello, Amarillo Globe-News
·3 min read
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The Bridge Child Advocacy Center held its annual Heroes and Legends fundraiser Tuesday night, featuring the Texas Panhandle football legend Zach Thomas.

Hall of Famer Zach Thomas celebrates as the bids rise for charity with Lance Lahnert holding the prized autographed football Tuesday at the Heroes and Legends fundraiser event at the Amarillo Civic Center.
Hall of Famer Zach Thomas celebrates as the bids rise for charity with Lance Lahnert holding the prized autographed football Tuesday at the Heroes and Legends fundraiser event at the Amarillo Civic Center.

Thomas attended both White Deer and Pampa High School, where he was a standout high school football player who won a football championship with White Deer and was all-state at Pampa. He was an all-American at Texas Tech University and went on to play 13 seasons in the NFL, 12 with the Miami Dolphins and one with the Dallas Cowboys. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in February of this year. He is the only Texas Panhandle athlete in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

NFL Hall of Famer Zach Thomas shares a story with the audience Tuesday at the Heroes and Legends fundraiser event at the Amarillo Civic Center.
NFL Hall of Famer Zach Thomas shares a story with the audience Tuesday at the Heroes and Legends fundraiser event at the Amarillo Civic Center.

He was on hand to raise money for The Bridge, which works with more than 80 agencies across the Texas Panhandle as a child advocacy group to ensure consistent care and practices to get help for children.

More: The Bridge plants 1,335 Pinwheels of Prevention in honor of Child Abuse Prevention Month

Shelly Bohannon, executive director for The Bridge, spoke about the importance of the event to support children across the Panhandle. The event was sold out, with both autographed footballs from Thomas raising a record $13,000 apiece to fund the efforts of the organization.

Shelly Bohannon, executive director of The Bridge, addresses the audience Tuesday at the Heroes and Legends fundraiser event at the Amarillo Civic Center.
Shelly Bohannon, executive director of The Bridge, addresses the audience Tuesday at the Heroes and Legends fundraiser event at the Amarillo Civic Center.

“Tonight is critical for us, because we are trying to raise enough funds to allow us to provide services to 200 children,” Bohannon said. “It costs about $1,200 a child to provide direct services, and we are hoping that tonight’s event raises enough money to make that happen.”

Bohannon said that her agency, which did more than 1,300 forensic interviews last year with children, does more of these interviews annually than many larger areas. She credits some of that with the awareness that that has been created in the area to help children.

More: Go blue: Local organizations paint Cadillac Ranch for Child Abuse Prevention month

“This is a night for us to showcase what we are doing and the needs that we have,” Bohannon said. "I think the community really steps us every year to help us, and we cannot forget the support from the city and the counties that make this happen.”

During the event, a benefactor of the services of The Bridge spoke about her experience and the impact it had on her and her sister to the crowd to put a face on the recipients of the child advocacy group’s services. The crowd gave her a standing ovation as she finished speaking.

Amanda, a child abuse survivor, speaks about the importance of The Bridge child advocacy group to her during the Heroes and Legends fundraiser event Tuesday at the Amarillo Civic Center.
Amanda, a child abuse survivor, speaks about the importance of The Bridge child advocacy group to her during the Heroes and Legends fundraiser event Tuesday at the Amarillo Civic Center.

Thomas then came out and was joined by Lance Lahnert, a former sports editor for the Amarillo Globe News and Texas Panhandle Hall of Famer, to talk about his career. Thomas reflected on his time playing high school football in the Texas Panhandle and overcoming his athletic and physical limitations to make it to the NFL.

Attendees look over silent auction items that include a Dallas Cowboys signed football Tuesday at the Heroes and Legends fundraiser event at the Amarillo Civic Center.
Attendees look over silent auction items that include a Dallas Cowboys signed football Tuesday at the Heroes and Legends fundraiser event at the Amarillo Civic Center.

As Thomas went to the podium to become an auctioneer, the bids for his autographed football jumped past $10,000. Thomas then started adding other memorabilia such as a jersey, cleats and a helmet, which brought final bids to $13,000 apiece for two footballs, which was well beyond any previous auctions at the event.

To donate to The Bridge, go to https://bridgecac.org/give/

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Zach Thomas headlines Heroes and Legends fundraiser for The Bridge