BLACKSBURG, VA -
The Hokies men's basketball team welcomes #6 Duke to Blacksburg Thursday
night -- and if they're going to pull off the upset, they'll need an energetic
home crowd behind them.
The Hokie Bird knows a thing or two about getting fans pumped, but earlier
this week, he was Hokie-napped. Now it's up to the Hokie Nation to ensure
he makes it to the game.
Monday, a video surfaced online of an unsuspecting Hokie Bird being ambushed
and carried away by a group of students. Then a ransom note appeared on
facebook, demanding $20,000 or 1,500 new members for their organization in
exchange for his return.
"I think a lot of the younger students, the freshman class, are really
worried about it," said Emily Tanner, a Co-Director of Virginia Tech Relay
for Life and one of the Hokie Bird's captors. "They want to see the
Hokie Bird [at the Duke game]. It hypes everyone to have our mascot
there."
They say students and Hokie fans alike are already starting to pay up.
And that's a good thing -- because unlike most kidnapping situations, these
hostage takers are the good guys.
"You go in not knowing what to expect, how students will respond, what
they'll say or think about it," said Thomas Lawler, Assistant Director of
Virginia Tech Relay for Life. "But it's pretty amazing. We've
seen throughout the years students come together and do anything to the fullest
of their abilities."
Virginia Tech Relay for Life has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for
the American Cancer Society over the years -- and has already racked up more
than $115,000 for their upcoming relay event on April 19.
With only two months left in their fundraising campaign, they wanted to see
what would motivate people to give more. And it appears a ransom on the
Hokie Bird was a smart decision.
"We're on track," said Bryan Wynkoop, Co-Director of Virginia Tech
Relay for Life. "We've been seeing at least $5,000 a day."
As of Thursday morning, they'd collected about $18,000 of the $20,000 ransom
and got 275 new participants registered for the relay. All money raised
and all new sign-ups prior to Thursday night's tipoff at 9:00pm will count
towards freeing the Hokie Bird. The group says it would be a shame if
their mascot had to miss the game.
"We'd love to release him for the game," said Wynkoop.
If you'd like to help free the Hokie Bird or learn how you can register for
the relay, visit www.vtrelay.org.
