Penn State football fans will be going blue in a big way this weekend to raise awareness about child sex abuse.
The Kent State game will mark Penn State’s third annual “Blue Out”. The tradition started two years ago following revelations about the Jerry Sandusky scandal. Graduate students Laura March and Stuart Shapiro asked fans to fill Beaver Stadium with blue to remember victims of abuse.
This year, senior Victoria Smith is keeping the tradition alive as director of the One Heart Campaign. The student group is dedicated to teaching people about how to prevent child sexual abuse.
“We are a group of students that really want to do something,” Smith says in a news release. “We want the Blue Out to be a tradition at Penn State — and we can continue to make a difference.”
The “Blue Out” is doing just that — making a big difference. It’s raised about $120,000 already. The money goes to the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape’s Vision of Hope fund, which directly helps children.
Official Blue Out shirts are available at the Penn State Bookstore, the Family Clothesline in downtown State College and trailers outside Beaver Stadium. Sales of the shirts benefit PCAR.
You’ll also see student volunteers canning outside the gates of Beaver Stadium. They’re still looking for more students to help out and anyone who takes part will get a free game ticket.
Click HERE to visit the Blue Out Facebook page.
