Former Oregon linebacker Kiko Alonso starts hurricane relief fund for Miami and Puerto Rico with $25,000 donation

Former Oregon and current Miami Dolphins linebacker Kiko Alonso announced on his Twitter feed this morning that he has started a relief fund for the hurricane damage in Miami and Puerto Rico. Alonso kicked things off with a $25,000 donation, which was then matched by the Miami Dolphins Foundation.

Alonso’s father, Carlos Alonso, was raised in Puerto Rico and also hosted a free youth football camp there back in April, so this is something that is obviously very close to Kiko’s heart.

His former Oregon teammate Spencer Paysinger chipped in another $500, according to the fundraiser’s home page.

On the fundraising page, Alonso wrote the following statement:

Hurricanes Irma and Maria have left two places that I call home devastated. While both cities began to rebuild after Irma, Maria has hit Puerto Rico leaving unmeasurable damage. Recovery assistance to Puerto Rico is especially difficult due to its being an island, and the time to start preparing to help the people of Puerto Rico is now. Currently, no one on the island has power from utilities, and the Governor is not entirely sure when this issue will be resolved. The people are living an unimaginable nightmare.

I have always held the people in my current community of Miami and in the Puerto Rican community near to my heart. With people in both places being left with virtually nothing, I am asking all of you to help me ease their hardship. Both communities are full of people I call friends and family, and all of the people in each community deserve our help. No amount is too small to help someone who desperately needs even the most simple forms of assistance right now.

With Gratitude,Kiko Alonso, #47

Through that page, you can make a donation to the fund as well.