Community members donate crayons in honor of Lexington teen

LEXINGTON, Tenn. — An entire community came together to honor one of their own in a unique and colorful way.

Thursday night fans filled the Jim Stowe stadium to watch the Lexington High School Tigers football team compete against McNairy Central, but for this game, the opposing teams came together for a special cause.

“We’re collecting crayons for the Tyler Spann Foundation, in honor of Tyler’s birthday. Both communities have supported us, both McNairy County as well as Lexington, so we have been overwhelmed,” said Cindy Smith, the Vice President of the Tyler Spann Foundation.

In June of 2018 Tyler Spann, a student and football player at Lexington High School, drowned while in Florida.

Now the Tyler Spann Foundation, established by Tyler’s mother, Angela Spann, is on a mission to helping children in Henderson County.

“It just kind of started out that I was in a store, saw the crayons, and I became emotional because of how much he loved the crayons,” Spann said.

Football fans from both teams were asked to bring 24-count crayons to the game in honor of number 24 Lexington Tiger Tyler Spann on what would have been his 17th birthday. The crayons will help local teachers restock their school supplies.

“The art department at the high school has made boxes for each of our elementary schools in our area, and they’ve themed each box for that school,” Spann said.

Organizers say from friends, to complete strangers, everyone is showing their true colors by donating over 1,000 boxes of crayons. It’s also helping Tyler leave a lasting impact on his community.

The players and coaches of Lexington High School’s football team will personally be delivering the crayons to local schools.