Habersham Central High School head baseball coach Chris Akridge has spent the last 18 days in the hospital battling COVID-19. On Saturday, student-athletes and members of the HCHS community will come together for a rally in support of him and his family.
The rally will be held in conjunction with pregame ceremonies at the Battle of the Heroes charity flag football game at Raider Stadium on August 14. Organizers will lead the community in prayer from the field shortly before the game’s 7 p.m. kickoff.
“When this was brought to our attention, there was no hesitation in being part of this rally,” said Glenn Ingram, the chairman of the board for the Easton Foundation. “Coach Akridge has touched so many in this community, and is a huge part of the Habersham Central Family.”
Ingram says student-athletes from the school approached the Foundation with the idea to pray for Coach Ak, as he is commonly referred to. In addition to his coaching duties, Akridge is a social studies teacher at Central.
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Family friends set up a Go Fund Me account to help with medical and other expenses.
While the event in support of Coach Akridge does not require specific safety protocols, organizers are encouraging people to take steps to mitigate the spread of the virus.
“We don’t have any mandates for attendees but strongly encourage social distancing for all and masks for unvaccinated individuals,” Easton Foundation Communications Director Colin Lacy tells Now Habersham. “We’re also limiting on-field access to on-field personnel.”
Full schedule of events
In June, the Easton Foundation announced the schedule for its 8th Battle of the Heroes game featuring first responders from Banks, Habersham, and Hall counties.
The event is a fundraiser for the Foundation, which helps teens in crisis and also provides scholarships to Northeast Georgia area students. This year’s expanded fundraiser will also include an inaugural classic car Cruise-In from 4:30-6:30 p.m. in front of Raider Stadium.
Cornelia entrepreneur Faith Baird, co-owner of Brownies by Faith, will serve as Grand Marshal for the pre-game festivities.
A fireworks show will cap off the evening after the game. All of the events are free, but donations are encouraged and welcomed.
Raider Stadium is located on the campus of Habersham Ninth Grade Academy at 171 Raider Circle in Mt. Airy.
This article has been updated to include measures organizers are encouraging to mitigate the spread of COVID-19
