NFL assistant coaches can sometimes seem to be the lifeblood of the moving van business. Their nomadic lives take them from one city to another – where the job offers come. Nobody knows this better than Jennifer King ‘05 who, in the past seven years, has been an intern assistant coach for the Charlotte Panthers, and a full-time assistant for the Washington Commanders and, most recently, Chicago Bears.

But through all the travel and transitions, there’s always been home. Jennifer was born and raised in Reidsville, N.C., and on Wednesday she came home to visit family, friends for the first time in 10 years -- and help a cause dear to her.

Jennifer attended a basketball doubleheader at Rockingham County High School, where she once played basketball herself. The games also served as a fundraiser for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. Kay was the longtime N.C. State women’s basketball coach who died in 2009 from breast cancer – 22 years after it was first diagnosed.

Jennifer never knew Kay, but she serves as an ambassador to the organization. The group provides medical services to underserved communities to fight all types of cancers. “She was a great coach and this is a great cause so, of course, I wanted to be a part of this,” she said.

Jennifer donated athletic jerseys she wore on the sidelines as a Bears and Commanders coach as well as autographed NFL footballs for a silent auction held by the school to raise money.

The football season keeps Jennifer busy so she enjoyed getting to spend time back home with her parents and friends about 20 miles from Guilford College.

Jennifer, who played basketball at Guilford, had offers from Division II schools and some lower-tier Division I schools, but she fell in love with Guilford when she visited. “Guilford is such a special place,” she said. “The people I met at Guilford reminded me of home. Everything just clicked.”