Indiana is home to punter Pat McAfee. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, he moved his entire family to Indianapolis after he started playing for the Colts. He calls himself a Hoosier. And when there’s a fellow Hoosier in need, Pat McAfee is among the first to step up.
“That’s what Hoosiers do. Hoosiers take care of each other,” he says.
Last week, a massive tornado ripped through the city of Kokomo. It spared lives, but the damage it left behind was overwhelming and in the same area that was hit hard by a tornado three years ago.
“As you’re watching the storms hit them again, you just can’t help it, I think anybody would do the same thing I’m doing, which is you want to help out as much as you can. And that’s what we’re able to do.”
Dear Mother Nature,
You've been acting like a real female dog these past couple days.Love,
Indiana.PS~> Your humidity makes me moist
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) August 26, 2016
When there’s a crisis, there are really only two ways to help – fix it or distract from it. And McAfee plans to do both. The punter turned stand up comedian is hosting a sold-out show on Friday night, Cracking Up for Kokomo, and all the money raised will go toward tornado relief.
“Anytime you can deliver a smile, I think that’s very undervalued. So, make people laugh, but most importantly, we’re going to raise a ton of money,” he says. “A lot of times, money isn’t always the answer, but in this particular case, I think money will be able to help out a lot. United Way of Howard County promised me that all the money is going straight to tornado relief, so it seems to be a win-win-win perfect situation.”
And with the relationships he’s built in Indy, McAfee is able to help even more.
“Live Nation jumped in. I asked them if I could use their theater, they said, ‘Sure.’ They gave it to me for free. This is really just the entire state of Indiana wanting to help out our affected brothers and sisters in Kokomo.”
Entertaining people is what Pat McAfee does for a living. Helping people is a byproduct of that success.
“It’s one of those things where I’m put in a position to help people with the NFL and with the way my social media has gone and with the way the Colts interact with the city and the state. It was just an obvious thing to do.”
What’s obvious is that Hoosiers love Pat McAfee.
And he loves them back.
