LOVE CAN OVERCOME HATE
We are the true spirit of Detroit
Sandman Donates wants to spread our message of hope and compassion. I believe that a single action can make a difference in the community, and that collective action can greatly impact the world.
Our Mission / How to apply
In response to an offensive and inexcusable Facebook post, which resulted in a Lions fan forfeiting his season tickets after public outcry, another season ticket holder stepped forward. Determined to see something good come from this reprehensible act, Andy re-purchased the tickets from the Lions with one goal – show the world who Lions fans really are! His intention is to donate the tickets to local charities serving kids who might not otherwise have a chance to attend a Detroit Lions game.
Two tickets are available for the remaining home games. We are currently accepting entries to nominate yourself, your charity or someone you know. The application process is easy – we just ask that you know the true meaning of sportsmanlike conduct, might not otherwise have an opportunity to attend a game, and most importantly, love the Lions as much as Andy!
To be eligible to receive the tickets you must meet the following criteria:
Be a 501c(3) or be receiving services from an established nonprofit organization
Boys and girls ages 5-18
Live in Wayne County or provide services to Wayne County residents
How to apply:
Tell Andy why you (or someone you know) should be selected. Remember, sportsmanlike conduct, team spirit and a compelling reason are all important!
Be sure to include your first and last name, age, what nonprofit organization you are representing, and if there is a specific game date you are requesting.
Submissions can be made via video (no more than 1 minute) or written essay (no more than 250 words).
Entries should be directed to SandmanDonates@gmail.com
Process:
Two tickets are available and must be used by the child selected and an adult chaperone.
Awardees will be selected on a game by game basis. Game dates are: October 29, November 11, November 23, December 16, December 31.
If you are selected, you will be contacted four days prior to the game. Arrangements will be made at that time to get you the tickets.
In the news
September 24th 2017
Channel 7 Story and Interview
Kacie Hollins - DETROIT - When a Lions season ticket holder relinquished his seats after his racist social media post went viral, another season ticket holder decided to try and put a positive spin on it.
When Andrew Morse realized a pair of season tickets would be up for grabs, he jumped on the chance to buy them. Morse already has his own season tickets for the Lions, but he wanted to do some good with this second set.
Morse decided he would donate the pair of seats to a deserving Detroit-area kid for each home game.
"It bothered me that those seats were kind of representing hate. That the last thing those seats were going to be remembered for is that horrible picture, that horrible Snapchat, and I wanted it to represent something more," says Morse.
He is reaching out to local charities to find kids that wouldn't otherwise have a chance to attend a Lions game. He is also raising money to help pay for things like parking and refreshments so these kids can truly enjoy the game day experience without worrying about paying for anything.
Lions safety Glover Quin says Morse's decision is emblematic of what it means to be a Lions fan.
"It's what Detroit fans are about. Doing the right thing. I mean, for the whole thing to happen in the first place, like I said, there's no place for it...it's uncalled for. And for another season ticket holder to step up, purchase those tickets and turn it into something positive for those kids is a good move," says Quin.
September 20th 2017
ESPN: Tickets from racist Lions fan will be donated to charities
When the Detroit Lions revoked the season tickets of a fan who posted a racist Snapchat during the team's season opener against Arizona earlier this month, Andy Morse decided he needed to help.
The 30-year-old from Warren, Michigan, reached out to the Lions and asked a simple question: Could he buy the tickets and then use them every game to donate to charities across Wayne County -- the county Detroit is in.
"I was pretty disturbed by that post, by what I saw," Morse told ESPN on Wednesday morning. "I thought to myself, man, this makes all of the Lions' fan base look kind of horrible and that kind of bothered me. Realistically, as soon as I saw that they had revoked his tickets, I was glad they did that, number one.
"Then I thought to myself, what do they do with these tickets? Do they just go back into circulation? The more I thought about that, I thought that these specific seats, these guys' seats, should really be going somewhere where we can kind of overwrite the negative that he had caused with possibly some positives."
Typically, the Lions would have offered to move another season-ticket holder into the vacated seats -- which are in the east end zone of the lower bowl -- but when Morse reached out, the Lions agreed to let him purchase the seats instead for his idea.
Morse will give the pair of tickets, which cost around $1,500, to a charity each game with certain stipulations: The organization must be a 501c3 or "receiving services from an established nonprofit organization." It must work with or help boys and girls between age 5 and age 18 and it must either be based in or provide services to Wayne County.
The idea was also inspired by Morse's girlfriend, who works with an unnamed charity as an annual funds director. It's why, instead of donating the seats to a charity and then potentially having them sell the seats to make money, he is insisting they go to actual children who are being helped by the charity and not typically have the chance to go to a NFL game.
"I kind of wanted them to have a plan as far as what they were going to do with the tickets," Morse said.
Morse, who has Lions season tickets himself, said the Lions gave him the exact tickets vacated by the fan who posted the racist Snapchat. The first charity, Alternatives For Girls, will be given the tickets for Sunday's game against Atlanta. Alternatives For Girls "helps homeless and high-risk girls and young women avoid violence, teen pregnancy and exploitation" by offering support and access to areas for safety.
The rest of the charities have yet to be selected, but the plan is to give the tickets to a different group each game.
Morse, who owns SDC Service, a heating and cooling company, said other people have reached out to help him pay for the tickets because they were also bothered by the racist Snapchat, but he's told them to give money to the charities the tickets go to instead to help them out more.
"I've actually had a ton of people reaching out because they want to help," Morse said. "That's really the greatest part about all of this."
