Monessen alum leads team to Pop Warner title
By jeff oliver
MVI Sports
When Michael Bright helped organize fundraising efforts for the Brick City (N.Y.) Lions football team to play in the Pop Warner Youth Football championship tournament (ages 12-14) at Disney World in Florida, the Monessen native personally collected more than half of the $24,000 goal.
Bright, CEO of the Newark YMCA, raised approximately $13,000. A chunk of that was a donation from the Edward V. Monaghan Foundation.
“I was surprised when Mrs. Monaghan reached out to me to make a donation, but I wasn’t shocked,” said Bright, whose son Marlen played on the offensive and defensive line for the Lions. “I had a good relationship with the family growing up and Ed, well, he was my guy. I was surprised they knew about our fundraising, but not shocked at all that the foundation wanted to contribute.”
The Lions won the Pop Warner Div. I title, beating the defending champion Far West (Ariz.) Jets, 32-24, in the championship game.
“It was very rewarding to see the kids get a chance to play for and win the championship,” Bright said. “It was a great experience for the kids.”
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