VUU’s football season is kicking off with a financial boon, as the Burning Sands Alumni Football Foundation plans to present Virginia Union University $60,000 from its endowment fund to support football scholarships at the college.

A check will be presented on Thursday, Sept. 1, to VUU President Hakim J. Lucas, the Board of Trustees, and Joe Taylor, vice president of Intercollegiate Athletics, during the Bailey Classic football game at the Willie Lanier Field at Hovey Stadium, 1500 N. Lombardy St.

Originally founded in 2011 as The Burning Sands Alumni Football Club, the group began developing the endowment in early 2021 to expand its support for VUU student athletes. Burning Sands sells merchandise and apparel and hosts various fundraisers throughout the year to provide funds to support its mission.

Burning Sands is the first sports organization connected to VUU to create an endowment, and the $60,000 check is the first in what is intended to be a perpetual fund for the university, according to a news release issued by the organization. For more information about Burning Sands, please visit www.vuu.edu.