LAS VEGAS, NV (KTNV) — Jeopardy James and his wife Melissa are serious about helping Las Vegas kids.
Their watch party on Jan. 9 for Jeopardy's "Greatest of All Time" tournament will benefit homeless youth. It begins at 7 p.m. at The Space on Cavaretta Court near Polaris and Harmon avenues.
And they're not stopping there.
RELATED: Here's when you can watch the Jeopardy 'Greatest of All Time' tournament on Channel 13
They reached out to 13 Chief Investigator Darcy Spears after she exposed dangerous conditions on high school football fields, and they hope their help sparks action to reach important field goals.
Our investigation into high school fields started when we heard play was stopped on several gridirons.
Fields were shut down right before football season last Fall due to a possible spike in concussion injuries. We uncovered artificial fields still in use years beyond their expected life-cycle.
"So Darcy, I saw your article and I read it and it just bothered me," said Melissa Holzhauer. "I was just thinking, these are young people in our community and they're just trying to go out there and play football and they're getting concussions. They're getting injured."
RELATED: Las Vegas high school football fields flagged for fouls
Rancho High School Athletic Director Gabrielle Crawford described it as a serious safety concern.
"My concussions had gone up 300%. I think we had like 15 concussions last fall," said Crawford.
Crawford found out Rancho's field was years out of warranty so she dug into the school's budget and had the field G-max tested in May. Anything over 200 G's is considered unsafe.
"Six of our points were 250, 240," says Crawford.
Melissa and James agreed that's not acceptable.
"We shouldn't have a single young person in Las Vegas getting injured because their field is unsafe," Melissa says.
So the Holzhauers stepped up to help.
RELATED; 13 Investigates prompts $25K donation from 'Jeopardy James'
We were there in October when they presented Rancho Principal James Kuzma with the $25,000 check to help fund field replacement.
Clark and Valley high schools' fields were also shut down over safety issues. Indian Springs and Arbor View are not far behind.
But it's not just football fields in need.
"We want to make it bigger," said Melissa. "Speaking with you...you told me there are baseball fields, soccer fields. Not just Rancho. Not just Indian Springs.
That's why Melissa and Jeopardy James want everyone to join their efforts, emphasizing it's not a hand-out but a hand-up.
"We can ask people to line up next to us -- NFL players, community leaders, casino executives -- stand with us. Put your hands out and let's pull these kids to a place where they can play on safe fields, on all their fields," said Melissa.
The Jeopardy "Greatest of All Time" tournament watch party will take place on Jan. 9 at 7 p.m. at The Space on 3460 Cavaretta Court. The tournament begins on Jan. 7 on Channel 13. Learn more here.
