Rides Bar & Grill in Fort Dodge will soon be collecting money for the family of Willie Williams to help them through a dark time time in their lives.

The popular local establishment is simply the backdrop for the fundraiser, though. The sweat equity will come from people who consider Williams to be a part of their family in a moment of solidarity and unification, repaying at least a small portion of everything he’s given to them.

On Friday, March 20, the entire Rides staff will donate 100 percent of their tips and $2 from each award-winning Studebaker burger and fries meal to Williams, a Fort Dodge Senior High assistant coach who is recovering from a stroke. Williams, a 2011 FDSH graduate who had emergency surgery on Feb. 27, is still recovering in the neuro ICU intensive care unit at MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center.

“This is more for the kids than anything because they feel pretty helpless. They want to do whatever they can to show how much they care,” said Nikkie Summers, who runs the banquet center and is in charge of party-room bookings at Rides. “We’ll have the football team and cheerleaders there working with us, so they have a way to pay it forward to their coaches. They will be the ones delivering the money to Willie’s family.”

The “Friday Night Lights” fundraiser will be from 5-11 p.m. at Rides. In addition to helping with the work and clean-up that night, Dodger players and cheerleaders will share stories and spend time healing together as they rally around Williams; his wife, Paige; and their children, Willie Jr. and Pipar.

“He’s a great coach, a great mentor and a positive black role model in our community,” said Dalton Summers, Nikkie’s son and a senior FDSH football player this past fall.

Rides Bar & Grill is owned by Summers’ boyfriend, Corey Lombard. The restaurant has hosted Dodger football team dinners for the last two seasons. Nikkie’s daughter, Jersey, was Fort Dodge’s manager and will be joining twin brother Dalton in the Wartburg College football program in the fall.

“Corey is always giving back to this community, from donating to any cause with money, gift cards, or free rentals of the banquet center for benefits and Fort Dodge team dinners,” said Summers, who also works with Paige in the Fort Dodge Community School District. “When I proposed the idea to the staff to see if they’d be willing to donate their tips (to Williams’ family), they were all on board.”

Troy Waller Auto Body in Fort Dodge is donating a remote start with installation, which will be raffled off at Rides that night.

Williams, who played football at Iowa Central Community College after an all-conference career at FDSH, suddenly fell ill on Feb. 26. The FDCSD employee was life-flighted to Des Moines and had surgery the next day.

Williams will remain in intensive care through at least next week.

In addition to this fundraiser, an account has been established to collect Williams family donations through Fort Dodge Family Credit Union, 407 2nd Ave. S. Online funds are being accrued via Venmo @WillieB-Williams-1.

Rides Bar & Grill is located at 723 S. 31st St. The restaurant has accumulated awards for its Sawyer Meats-based burgers — each year, the Iowa Beef Industry Council and the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association hand out individual Top-10 honors from over 9,000 nominated restaurants state-wide — in five of the last six years.