Rob Ashworth said he remembers asking his mom why the Sonic trips stopped.
“My grandmother used to take me and my brother to Sonic, and we would get Slurpees and mozzarella sticks,” he said. “One day I asked my mom, ‘Why don’t I ever go out with Dee Dee anymore?’”
At that point, his grandmother, Dee Dee Jackson, hadn’t been diagnosed with dementia yet, but she was already showing signs of the condition. It began to disrupt their family’s regular rhythm of life.
And as time went on, Jackson started attending Respite Ministry, a program hosted by First United Methodist Church of Montgomery.
Finding a way to help
“They have brain games for people struggling with memory loss,” Rob said. “It gets their mind going but at the same time it gives the caregivers an opportunity to unwind and relax a little bit.”
Rob, a senior at The Montgomery Academy and member of First Baptist Church Montgomery, got a chance to volunteer with Respite Ministry in the spring, and he immediately knew he wanted to be involved in a bigger way.
“I wanted to figure out a way that I could contribute to that community,” he said. “I thought it would be through volunteering, but with football and school I realized I wouldn’t be able to volunteer and help out. I was really upset; I thought that was the end of it.”
But then someone crossed his path — a kicker from another high school football team. He had started an effort to raise money for every kick he made, with the proceeds going to benefit a charity in his area.
“I told him, ‘It’s awesome that you’re doing this; would you mind if I replicated this in Montgomery with something I care about?’ And he said 100 percent and helped me figure out how to get started,” Rob said.
‘It’s just taken off’
The result was Kicking for a Cause, a platform to raise money for the work done by Respite Ministry. Throughout the football season, supporters gave one-time donations or pledged a certain dollar amount for each of his extra points, field goals and touchbacks.
So far, Rob has raised $18,960, and his team starts the playoffs this Friday (Nov. 7).
“I’m so thankful for how it’s developed,” Rob said. “I had set the goal for around $10,000 thinking that might be the limit, but man, it’s just taken off.”
He also hopes the idea can be passed down to another kicker who could then choose a cause that is “near and dear to his heart.”
His father, John Ashworth, president of The Baptist Foundation of Alabama, said he and his wife, Ivy, are “super proud of Rob for creating Kicking for a Cause.”
Making an impact
“He came up with Kicking for a Cause as a way to give back to the ministry that has done so much in the lives of families like ours,” John Ashworth said. “Ivy and I think this is a great way for him to do that in conjunction with something he loves — kicking for his team.”
He said Rob did all the work, from running with the idea, to setting up the website for people to sign up, to promoting the fundraiser, to updating his supporters.
“We are grateful for the way the Lord has used Rob to make an impact for those walking this road with us,” he said.
For more information, visit kicking4acause.com.
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