Chad still wows 'em

HUNTINGTON -- It has been nearly a decade since New York Jets quarterback Chad Pennington wowed the crowd on the field.

However, his actions and continued selflessness still continues to awe Huntingtonians to this day.

The 1st and 10 Foundation, which Pennington and his wife Robin founded in 2003, presented the Huntington YMCA with a check for $30,000 on Friday.

"The 1st and 10 Foundation deals with kids and (Chad) considers Huntington his adopted hometown," Huntington YMCA president David Tyson said. "He and Robin are dedicated to this community. It's an asset that we are glad to have."

The money is going toward a 15-passenger mini bus that will transport children who are involved in the YMCA's after school and child care programs.

It is a natural fit that the 1st and 10 Foundation and Huntington YMCA would team up for several reasons. The YMCA motto is to "Build strong kids, strong families, strong communities" and the 1st and 10 Foundation is right in line by building communities through fundraising to assist such programs.

The donation was not only a good fit for the 1st and 10 Foundation's cause, it also gave Chad and Robin Pennington a chance to give back to those who had given to them. Robin Pennington worked at the Huntington YMCA's May Building during her collegiate years while Pennington was happy to give back to the many Marshall football supporters with YMCA connections that he met during his days with the Thundering Herd.

"The key for us is reaching out to supporters, reaching out to people who want to give back and putting an emphasis on understanding how it does take the resources to do the things you want for your youth and for your citizens across the board," Pennington said.

"What's been great for our foundation is that our supporters have been so generous. They take a lot of pride knowing that every dollar that they donate to our foundation goes back to the cause."

Pennington said when he and Robin started the foundation in 2003, they set the goals high and the response has been phenomenal.

Since 2006, the 1st and 10 Foundation has given more than $362,000 back to Southern West Virginia. During the Fall 2007 cycle (which the Huntington YMCA donation falls into), the foundation granted $178,500 to various programs and initiatives in West Virginia and Tennessee -- the two places he calls home.

"We are certainly pleased with where we are as a foundation and we know we can continue to get better and do bigger things," Pennington said.

In addition to the 1st and 10 Foundation, the Huntington YMCA also received donations from the State of West Virginia.

The House of Delegates presented Tyson with a check for $25,000 and the Senate donated $20,000. Both checks will help the Huntington YMCA build baseball and softball facilities at the YMCA Kennedy Center on W.Va. 2.