The Athletic Booster Club makes things happen

By this year alone, the Athletic Boosters club has raised close to $100,000 in funds for York sports. Who are the Athletic Boosters? They’re a group made up of York parents who raise money for the school’s athletic programs. The club receives requests from coaches at York asking for specific purposes.

“At our September seventh meeting, the Athletic Boosters approved over $71,000 in coaches’ and athletic department requests from 20 different boys’ and girls’ sports programs at York,” Mike Grant, club president, said. “Some examples include golf bags, racing lanes for swimming, strength and speed equipment for football, pitching machines for softball and new nets for volleyball, soccer, lacrosse and waterpolo.”

Due to the diversity of sports at York, the club works diligently to ensure all coaches receive their requests. The organization works diligently to sponsor all the programs.  Lesser-known activities such as bowling and badminton benefit as well as football and field hockey.

“We were able to approve funding requests for all coaches this year,” Melissa Damewood, vice president, said.  “In our consistent goal to create equitable outcomes for all athletes, we conducted an analysis of our funding for the past ten years to make sure there was equal money being given for all programming.”

One of the organization’s main goals is to support as many sports programs as possible. The club remained active throughout the pandemic and now their efforts are visible at many in-person high school functions. 

“Money is raised by selling food concessions at home football games, selling spirit wear, selling advertising and by running other fundraisers,” Grant said. “Past high impact gifts have included $35,000 in 2020 for pool renovations, and over $100,000 in 2019 to upgrade the fitness center for the benefit of all students and staff.”

The York administration greatly appreciates the club’s constant support and hard work. Without the Athletic Boosters, many sports activities would not be possible. 

“It’s very important just from a community standpoint,” Drew McGuire, assistant principal, said. “We have parents who are volunteering their time and supporting our 30 athletic programs. So right now we have about 800 athletes in a fall sport, participation is up, so whenever you have more numbers it’s going to cost more to run a sport. Some sports cost more than others, so the boosters are there to support all our programs in regards to what the district can purchase for us.”

Many fundraising events held at York are organized by the parents who energize the club. With in-person activities returning this year, the club is planning new sponsorship events. 

“Upcoming events include apparel sales at parent teacher conferences, an apparel Holiday Sale in December, and running the hospitality suites at the Girls’ Basketball Thanksgiving Tournament and the Jack Tosh Holiday Boys’ Basketball tournament,” Grant said.  “Finally, we are currently in the planning stages of our largest fundraising event of the year, The Green Scene, which will take place on February 26, 2022.” 

The club’s membership has roughly 35 York parents who actively participate in money raising endeavors. The parents work cohesively with coaches to make the sports programs run more smoothly. 

“Our goal as a Boosters organization is to support athletic opportunities for all York students in a safe, productive environment,” Damewood said. “Our funding efforts are simply a support for the amazing coaches who work incredibly hard and put in long hours to create athletic programs for our students. If we can help them by financing equipment, scoreboards, technology, pom-poms, and windscreens to make their programs run a little smoother, we are happy to do so.”

As spectators at sports games return to in-person, the organization is now more active than ever. Now students can support the club just as the club helps to support the students. 

“Our current focus is staffing for those games,” Grant said.  “We typically need around 60 volunteers for the Sophomore and Varsity games.  Volunteer positions are open to anyone, not just Athletic Booster members, and we are always looking for help from students and parents!”