Student athletes raise $100k
A Crest High School raffle has set records, reached people in all 50 states and around the globe and created a sense of community among different sports teams.
The Crest Charger Horseshoe Club launched the 50/50 Rivalry Raffle at the beginning of August and has already brought in more than $150,000. Former Crest and NFL player, Brandon Spikes, will be drawing the winning ticket Friday at the end of the second quarter of the Crest vs. Shelby game. One lucky winner will take home as much as $50,000 or more in winnings.
Steve Roderick, president of the booster club, said it goes beyond another sports fundraiser.
He said the success can be attributed to breaking down silos that separate teams and kids in the school and creating a community within the community. He said it has also re-engaged kids post COVID.
The Crest Chargers Horseshoe Club has been around for 30 years but has traditionally been all about football.
Now they have junior and varsity cheerleaders, basketball and football from both middle and high schools, volleyball and tennis players on board.
The club was looking for a way to not only raise money but bring teams and people together.
Roderick said most sports operate in silos with each team conducting their own fundraisers.
“We’re knocking down those walls,” he said.
The club’s treasurer, Brandi Edwards, brought the idea of a raffle to the board and after they crunched some numbers, they knew it would be a hit.
Last week, the pot total was over $75,000. By Wednesday night it was at $152,000 with further sales expected.
Roderick said other nine schools and two non-profits have called asking for advice on how to conduct a similar raffle.
The tickets cost $10 for one and $20 for three. Players simply have to let ticket sellers know their name, phone number, ticket quantity and sport/player they want to support. The winner does not have to be present at the drawing.
The funds raised will go towards middle school jerseys, backpacks, uniforms, new volleyball nets and cheerleading fees that some parents can’t afford.
“The goal is that everybody plays for free,” Roderick said.
He said there is a lot that the underfunded schools don’t provide which means expenses fall back on the parents.
He said the booster club is doing away with the traditional rise and grind fundraisers that only bring in a few thousand a year.
“Our mentality is if it doesn't make $10,000 it's not worth it,” Roderick said. “We could do a lot of good here with everybody on board.”
So far, they have sold a raffle ticket in all 50 states, Canada, Belize, Germany, Czech Republic, England and more.
With the advent of Venmo and CashApp, selling tickets became easier.
Roderick said the students have sold to online friends, foreign exchange students, relatives in the military and others.
The club created media packets for all the students with contact information, tickets, and the students' photos.
“It puts a name and a face to what people are actually buying,” Roderick said.
“It exploded,” he said. “It’s amazing to see the number of people who have bought tickets from us.”
He said football coaches from every county have bought a ticket. People have spent as much as $500 on tickets. They're also catching the interest of people who have never donated before.
People have had fun with it on social media, posting photos of tickets with a Chucky doll or having their three year old promote them.
“It’s been fun watching the community rally around us,” Roderick said.
He expects it to be a new 50/50 raffle high school state record.
They’ve sold so many tickets, that they had to have a custom raffle drum made to hold them all because none of the ones available were large enough.
“We just tried to bring everybody on board,” he said.
The efforts have been paying off with team spirit as football players attend volleyball games and different sports show support for each other.
“We’re bringing the community back,” he said. “It’s beautiful to watch.”
The money will make it possible for kids to afford the things they need to play sports.
He said the money is divided among the participating teams based on how many tickets are sold.
If cheerleaders sell $20,000 worth of tickets, they will receive $10,000.
He hopes to sell out of tickets by Friday, which would mean $150,000 raised.
“If we can do $150,000 the first year, I don’t know what we can do the second year,” he said.
Roderick said he isn’t too surprised that they’ve raised so much, but what caught him off guard was the excitement it generated in the community.
“It blew me away how fast this took off,” he said.
Rebecca Sitzes can be reached at rsitzes@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on The Shelby Star: Raffle fundraiser brings in 100 grand
