Aaron Rodgers is helping a high school football team near his hometown of Chico in Northern California with travel funds for a game with significant meaning.
The
Paradise football team is scheduled participate in September's Unity Bowl, traveling to play
Lahainaluna (Lahaina, Hawaii) in a meeting between programs and communities affected by deadly wildfires.
The town of Paradise in Butte County endured the Camp Fire in November of 2018, which became the deadliest wildfire in the history of California, causing 85 deaths and the destruction of more than 18,000 structures. The Bobcats' season ended abruptly but they rebounded to reach the section championship game in 2019.
In August of 2023, Hawaii suffered its largest and deadliest wildfire in the town of Lahaina on the island of Maui. The blaze took 102 lives. The Lunas returned to football action in late September that year and collected five straight wins to reach the state playoffs.
The idea for the Unity Bowl came about last year. Rodgers, the four-time NFL MVP who attended nearby
Pleasant Valley (Chico), is helping donate funds through his Aaron Rodgers NorCal Fire Recovery Grant Program at North Valley Community Foundation to assist with Paradise's travel expenses.
According to multiple media outlets including the
Enterprise-Record, Rodgers is contributing $15,000 – more than 20 percent of Paradise's goal of raising $72,000.
Both Paradise and Lahainaluna went 4-6 in 2025. The two teams plan to have the Unity Bowl in Paradise in 2027.
