Old Town Boosters needs “boost” from community

 September 6, 2006

When it comes to supporting Old Town school sports, the Boosters have always been on the fundraising frontline. But, according to member Dottie deBruyne, the Boosters could use a little help themselves these days. DeBruyne has been active in the organization for eleven years, ever since she and her family moved to Old Town in 1995. In that time, she says, she has seen the Boosters membership steadily decrease to the point where, now, there are only five core members who share the regular workload that goes into “boosting” the city’s sports teams. Another five or six are considered “fringe” members, who can be called on if the need arises, but who do not attend all Booster functions.

“I think there is a general misconception about what the Boosters do,” deBruyne said. “Some people think that we raise money for specific teams. No…we raise money for all of the teams, even the academic teams. A coach for any school team just has to make a request for help, and then the members of the organization talk it over and decide whether or not it’s something we can do.”

Another huge misconception, according to deBruyne, is that members of the Boosters are paid for the behind-the-scenes work they do on behalf of school teams and other community activities. In fact, the members of the Boosters are all volunteers. Not only that, most of the current volunteer force behind Booster activities no longer have children in the schools that they work so hard to support.

“The way it’s supposed to work is that community members volunteer to work as Boosters while their kids are in school. Then, when their kids graduate and move on, so do they. But those of us who don’t have kids in school anymore can’t leave because, if we did, there would be no more Boosters,” deBruyne said.

If the Boosters were to fade from the scene due to lack of membership, it would affect some of the most fundamental aspects of the community’s extracurricular activities. The Boosters contribute $5,000 every year to the schools’ athletic uniform fund, with each team receiving new uniforms on a five-year rotation basis. In the last ten years, the Boosters have donated about $80,000 to Old Town schools and the community in general. Some of that money has been used to support Riverfest, the Concerts in the Park summer series, and other smaller events.

“I’ll be honest with you—I’m tired,” deBruyne said. “I was raised to believe that it’s a person’s responsibility to give back to the community they live in. When we moved here, I decided that joining the Boosters was one of the best ways that I could help my community. But it’s time for others to join in and help out, too. Any parent who has a child in Old Town schools is eligible. ”

DeBruyne says that members are asked to contribute 30 to 40 hours a year to the organization. Each current member of the Boosters handles specific tasks, but they are tasks that can be shared by new members. For deBruyne, the main task is shopping for all of the hot dogs, hamburgers, rolls, and other items used in the Booster snack shed at various events.

“There’s a lot more to it than just setting up the shed and handing out the food,” she said. “The shed has to be moved each time we use it. Someone has to hook everything up. It takes a lot of time and energy. And when you make a lot of money at a specific event, it feels good. But what feels even better is when a coach or a kid writes or calls and says thank you.”

The Boosters work at approximately 30 events a year, with the proceeds from each event spread out over all the teams. Because of the club’s heavy game schedule, deBruyne says, some people might be afraid that joining the Boosters would prevent them from watching their children’s games. But that’s another misconception, she says.

“If your child plays soccer, then you can volunteer to work during a football game. If your child plays baseball, you can work at basketball games,” she said.

Booster Club meetings take place on the second Monday of each month at 7 pm at Old Town High School. Anyone interested in joining the Boosters or in learning more about them is welcome to attend, or they can send an e-mail to dotadeb@juno.com with “Boosters” in the subject line.