A Fort Worth youth football team hit by fire has gotten help in rebuilding what it lost.
Vandals set fire to the Hallmark Eagles' concession stand last month. The structure -- and the uniforms and equipment inside -- were destroyed in the blaze. One parent said it was the second year the team's property has been vandalized.
But when Emma Caffey heard about the fire, she told her father they had to help.
"Emma looked over at me and said, 'We should help them,'" said her father, Mark Caffey. "It was that simple."
He reached out to a sports apparel company that then donated time and gear to the Hallmark Eagles. Caffey picked up the rest of the tab.
"Well they have four teams," he said. "We did pants, we did jerseys, we did socks, belts, T-shirts, some towels and some hats."
Parent Sharon Walker said the jerseys are nicer than what the team had before.
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"We're an organization who deals with a lot of underprivileged kids, so we never had more than one jersey," said Hallmark Eagles coach Chris Alexander. "Everybody might not have the same pair of pants."
This year's homecoming day games were about new beginnings for the Eagles. The team offered the Caffeys a gesture of thanks Saturday.
"We really thank them, because they blessed us even when we didn't have nothing, just letting us be a team," Eagles player Brayden Hodgest said.
The team presented them with a jersey mounted in a shadow box, making the Caffeys part of the Hallmark Eagles family for life. Emma, the little girl responsible for the new beginning, was crowned homecoming queen.
"You know it was a blessing brought down from above," Walker said.
The team is playing for the time being on Everman High School's football field but the team hopes to return.
"It's the field that we been playing on for as long as we can," Hodgest said. "We had great memories there."
Mark Caffey said he will use his contacts to hopefully rebuild the team's concession stand so the Eagles can finally return home.
