EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: HIGH SOCKS FOR HOPE

Living on the East Coast all my life, we have the best of both worlds, we bitch about the humidity in the summer and the nasty snow in the winter. But one thing we don't have is our entire home demolished by dangerous tornadoes. Lately across the United States, there seems to be more and more destruction and more and more people are homeless because of devastating storms rolling through neighborhoods in the middle of the night taking homes, memories and lives away from all of us in just a matter of minutes.

David and Erin Robertson were personally touched by the devastation in the most recent storm that ravaged Tuscaloosa, Alabama on April 27th because Robertson grew up there. Immediately they and Kimberly Jones took a crew to the now leveled area and the look on their faces was eye opening. WATCH IT HERE. They were in shock, much like the families that were torn apart there. They did something that people only talk about doing, they are making a difference.

High Socks for Hope was started immediately, a Foundation to give aid to the people who lost everything they had in the hopes of rebuilding their lives. I get emotional just thinking about this courageous undertaking. Many celebrities want to attach their names to causes and never show up to really do a thing about it. David Robertson is a New York Yankee and pride is attached to that, but celebrity is also attached to it and he knows the importance of his fans and the power he has to bring it to every ones attention, Yankee fan or not. He and Erin are making a difference. I applaud them and I needed to reach out to ask them about it:

BYB: Tell me why High Socks for Hope was started?

David Robertson: High Socks for Hope was started right after the tornadoes hit Alabama on April 27, 2011. Tuscaloosa is my hometown; it is where I was born and raised, went to high school and college. It is a place that will always be home. Seeing it destroyed really affected me. I knew I had to do whatever I could to help fix what had happened. My wife and I discussed several options of what to do and where to donate money, but decided we wanted to make sure we knew where it was going and that 100% of it was going toward relief efforts. We opened the "David and Erin Robertson Foundation" to start collecting donations and then the High Socks website to start raising awareness of the devastation and needs that are present. We also went to Tuscaloosa to view the damage and meet some of the people that were affected by this tragedy.

BYB: Describe your initial reaction when you saw the destruction in Tuscaloosa for the first time?

Erin Robertson: I was shocked to see the devastation. David and I had watched a lot of videos and spoke to a lot of people down there before we visited, but nothing could have prepared us for what we saw. There was debris everywhere and so many houses and buildings were destroyed. It was truly heartbreaking to see.

BYB: What is the ultimate goal of your foundation?

David Robertson: Our goal is to help as many people as possible that were affected by the tornadoes in Tuscaloosa and the surrounding areas. We haven't set any monetary goals because the needs are endless. It will take billions of dollars to fix what was damaged. Our goal is to assist those that are in the most need. There are several families that we work with that are either homeless or struggling to make ends meet, and we are working hard to get those families in a safe place and back on their feet.

BYB: How much have you been able to raise, and is there a goal mind?

Erin Robertson: We have already received several generous donations from so many friends, family members and amazing fans, but there is definitely a long way to go. It will take years to get back what the tornadoes destroyed in just minutes, but we are determined to do everything we can to help.

BYB: Will you and David be part of the rebuilding process?

Erin Robertson: David's schedule makes it difficult to travel, but we will be visiting Tuscaloosa in the off-season to help where we can and make sure all the donations are going to the right places.
BYB: If someone wants to donate to help your cause, what can they do?

David Robertson: There are several ways people can help out. If someone would like to make a tax-deductible donation, they can make checks payable to:

"The David and Erin Robertson Foundation"

and mail checks to:

Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund
PO Box 770001
Cincinnati, OH 45277-0053

People can also purchase a t-shirt from Bald Vinny's store where the proceeds will go towards our fund. Or people can come to an event we host, there is one this Thursday, June 30th at the Hard Rock at Yankee Stadium.

Thank you David and Erin Robertson for taking the time to talk to us and make us aware of what we can do to help.

Please donate to the Robertson's cause and help them help others. Anything is accepted because they want to get Tuscaloosa up and running again. It will take time and it will take everyone’s help. This isn’t a Yankee thing, it’s a life thing and the idea of helping another human being in a time of need is truly heroic, although to David and Erin, that’s probably never crossed their mind. They believe in loving thy neighbor and this is by far the kindest and most important foundation out there right now. We support them at Bleeding Yankee Blue.

We will keep the High Socks for Hope info on our home page so you can donate. The address is there. Send checks to that address. Help any way you can.

Please comment and let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.