Where the money goes...

It seems every time you turn around we get asked to give and give. The giving goes to our churches, to our community, to our schools and it goes to our children. If it’s not a gift of time, energy, and commitment, then it is a request for money.

Rarely do we learn how that money is spent.

Sports don’t just happen at Grosse Pointe South High School. More than 90 teams — nearly 775 student athletes —compete throughout the seasons, showing blue-and-gold pride for their high school career.

A family is expected to pay a $220 per-sport, per-season, per-athlete participation fee. If your daughter or son is a three-season athlete, the numbers add up.

We want to let you know that money is not spent frivolously. The pay-to-participate fee pays for the cost of umpires, referees and officials. It pays for transporting teams to and from their athletic events. And it also pays for regular-season tournament entry fees as well as post-season entry fees. A small portion of this money also goes to the general fund allocated to each sport’s direct use.

Other than those uses, funds must be raised to pay for the “extras” a program, a coach or athlete needs.

(Only coaches’ fees/salaries come from the Grosse Pointe School System’s annual budget, just like all other school employees.)

That means in order to continue to provide a high-caliber environment for our student-athletes we must raise money to support them. That is the charge of the Grosse Pointe South Athletic Booster Club, a 501c3 charitable organization.

Two years ago — through membership fees, fund raising activities and event sponsorship solicitation — the GP South ABC generated enough funds to donate $35,000 directly the sports for specific requests. Last year we gave $78,000 which included annual scholarship gifts of $5000 to four student athletes.

Future needs and wants will not diminish. This year our goal is to give even more, and that includes the four student-athlete scholarships. With the completion of the John and Marlene Boll Athletic Center, which includes a 12-lane competitive pool and a field gymnasium, there is also a 5500-square foot state-of-art fitness facility for all students’ and faculty use. The facility has been outfitted with the finest cardio-vascular exercise and weight training equipment available, video screens, a fully computerized team room, and it is mirrored throughout. The goal is to make it as inviting as possible to reach out to as many students as possible so they can enjoy the benefits of its use

The ability to outfit the fitness facility was made possible by a generous donation from the Boll family with the remainder cost—nearly $60,000—underwritten by the GP South Athletic Booster Club.

The point: Your money is being spent wisely for the betterment of all students and all student athletes.

Sport is an essential part of forming a young adult; sport teaches team work and work ethic, you learn competitive skills and negotiating tools. With exercise you become physically fit and, hopefully, you become a better adult as a result. And that’s something we can all take pride in.