A statewide telethon hosted by Kentucky coach John Calipari for victims of Superstorm Sandy has raised $500,000. Part of the event on Wednesday was broadcast on WKYT-TV and featured Kentucky players taking phone calls and donations. Terry Burkhart, who is Bluegrass Region of the American Red Cross CEO, called it "an amazing night of support."
A statement from the school says efforts to raise funds got a boost when Papa John's pizza founder John Schnatter called in and offered $1 from each pizza sold Wednesday toward relief efforts.
Calipari has said he came up with the idea after talking with friends in affected areas in New Jersey and New York. In 2010, he organized a Hoops for Haiti telethon benefiting victims of the Haitian earthquake.
