Penn-Trafford linebacker raises money for police department in final season
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Penn-Trafford linebacker Jack Jollie has been playing football for eight years, but his focus extends beyond the field in his final season with the Warriors.
To give back to the community, the rising senior is gathering sponsors to donate money for each tackle he makes this season. The funds will go toward the purchase of new bulletproof vests for the Penn Township Police Department.
His goal is to purchase as many vests as possible, and he is aiming for 70-100 tackles.
Jollie made 52 tackles last season and was a first-team all-conference selection. The 6-foot-1, 220-pound inside linebacker/tight end also had 12 tackles for losses and two sacks.
Township police Chief John Otto said one vest and its accompanying parts costs between $1,000 and $1,500.
According to Otto, the police department gives each new officer their own vest that they will keep for five years before it needs to be replaced. He said the vests are an officer’s most critical piece of equipment.
“(A vest) has the potential to save the life of, not only the officer, but that’s somebody’s son, husband, father,” Otto said. “It’s not just a piece of gear that we carry around. It’s the piece of gear that we hope saves our life.”
Jollie said he came up with the idea for this fundraiser as a form of community service. He also is considering the project for his senior presentation.
“I take a lot of pride in our Penn-Trafford police officers,” Jollie said. “They protect us. They do everything for us. They keep us safe. No way to keep them safer than a bulletproof vest.”
Jollie said those interested in sponsoring him can send an email to tacklesforthevest@gmail.com, indicating the amount per tackle they wish to donate.
Jollie will email his sponsors about collecting donations at the end of the football season, which begins Aug. 27 in a game against Norwin High School.
Additional information on donating, the Warriors’ football season schedule and weekly updates on his tackle statistics can be found on the website he and his brothers created for the project. His coaches will verify the number of tackles he makes each week before he updates the website.
Jollie said the Warriors’ head coach, John Ruane, has shown “nothing but support” for the project. His father, Kevin, added that Ruane has played a big role in instilling leadership within Jollie and the rest of the team.
Otto said it is “encouraging and refreshing” to see such leadership, “ambition and a sense of community” in a student such as Jollie, both on and off the field.
“I’m a Penn-Trafford kid,” Otto said. “This is my hometown, and to see a next generation of kids be that committed to our community is incredible.”
Otto said Jollie’s efforts signify the moral strength and close bond in the Penn-Trafford community.
“When our athletic teams go to states and we line the streets, we all celebrate that. When we pick up the paper and see our band in Disney, there is that sense of ‘those are our kids’,” he said. “That’s who we are here, and it’s encouraging that here we go again. We’re going to get one more rotation out of that.”