Dollars for doughnuts: Gausman family doing its part to assist flood victims

Louisiana isn't home to any Major League Baseball teams. In fact, the closest big league ballpark to the state's capital of Baton Rouge is a nearly 4 1/2-hour drive to Houston, where the Astros call home.

Yet in Baltimore, one pitcher and former Louisiana resident is doing his part do help those affected by the horrific flooding that arrived unannounced on Aug. 12, and left a state and countless parishes with broken homes and businesses.

Orioles pitcher Kevin Gausman and his fiancée have pledged $15,000 to Louisiana flood relief efforts and are helping raise money and awareness of the devastation that has torn apart much of the southern part of the state.

It's a tragedy close to Gausman's heart. Although born in Colorado, Gausman played college baseball at Louisiana State University, where he received countless accolades, culminating in him becoming the Orioles' first-round pick in the 2012 First-Year Player Draft.

Now the Gausman family is asking for fans in Birdland to donate whatever they can. All proceeds will go to the Louisiana Flood Relief Fund, which supports nonprofit organizations providing ongoing relief and recovery efforts throughout the affected areas.

The damage as a result of the flooding has been catastrophic. Declared the worst natural disaster since Hurricane Sandy in 2012, experts estimate more than 60,000 homes were damaged or destroyed. Many of the homes and businesses affected were not located in what are known as "high risk flood areas," meaning owners did not have any flood insurance. As a result, home and business owners have to rely on the Federal Emergency Management Agency and costs out of their own pockets.

Orioles fans in the Ellicott City area can certainly relate after massive flooding ravaged the historic section of town on July 30. During that evening, a storm dropped six inches of rain on the town in only two hours, destroying much of the historic section of town and resulting in two fatalities.

Fortunately for those in Louisiana, Gausman isn't the only athlete who is stepping up to give something back. Several former LSU players - including Houston's Alex Bregman, the Los Angeles Dodgers' Louis Coleman and Colorado's DJ LaMahieu, just to name a few - are pitching in to donate toward relief efforts. In total, Major League Baseball and the players association have contributed $250,000 to assist victims of the devastation.

The Louisiana Flood Relief Fund is managed by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, the largest community foundation in the state. In addition to helping those affected by the flooding, the foundation has helped secure grants to help students get back in school and provided aid to the food bank. For more information, check out their website.