Four Jets to visit hurricane-affected area

NEW YORK (Sept. 14, 2005) -- Four New York Jets players are headed to Baton Rouge, La., to visit evacuees, volunteers and workers involved in the relief efforts following Hurricane Katrina.

Center Kevin Mawae, defensive end/linebacker John Abraham, fullback Jerald Sowell and safety Oliver Celestin will board a private aircraft lent to them from Mr. and Mrs. Emily Congel.

The four players will visit shelters in the North Baton Rouge and Donaldsonville areas, and then will spend time with some rescue workers and volunteers during their stay.

All of the players, with the exception of Abraham, have strong local ties to the storm-ravaged area: Mawae, a native of Leesville, La., makes his offseason home in Baton Rouge, the town where he graduated from Louisiana State University. Sowell, from Baker, La., graduated from Tulane University, while Celestin and his family are also from on the west bank of New Orleans. His family has been displaced due to the damage from Hurricane Katrina and relocated to the New York area through the support of his Jets teammates and the organization.

On Sept. 17, Mawae and his wife, Traci, have organized a food drive for the victims of the storm, beginning at 10 a.m. ET at St. Paul's School in Garden City, N.Y.. Non-perishable food items, water, toiletries, general hygiene products and baby items, such as diapers and wipes, will be collected for distribution to the Gulf Coast region. Clothing will not be accepted as donation.

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