On Saturday Nov. 8, people of all different ages could be spotted driving a Ford Maverick around the streets of Circle C. While it was exciting to see and take for a test drive, the car held a much bigger purpose for the members of Bowie’s Boys Lacrosse program.
The fundraising team has utilized this entertaining and unique method of fundraising in years past, offering the opportunity to drive a cool car and, in return, earning money for the program with every test drive. This operation is called the Ford Drive For Your School Fundraiser, and has worked relatively well for Bowie Boys Lacrosse in the past.
“The fundraiser took place at the Child Development Center (CDC) in Circle C and we were able to bring people into the parking lot to test drive the Maverick,” junior Hunter Horvath said. “They were also able to purchase raffle tickets, where the car was the winning prize.”
The program raised money by their efforts at the CDC, but also got proceeds from out of state. The car raffle is available to people out of Austin and even out of Texas.
“This is our second car raffle fundraiser,” coach Will Laurel said. “Last year, we raffled off a vintage Mach 1 Mustang, and since it was such a niche car, collectors from all over the U.S. were registering.”
The lacrosse program has an Instagram account where they keep followers from all over Texas updated on their season and promote their events as well as fundraisers. Players were also able to promote the CDC fundraiser with signs and persuade people to come test drive the Maverick.
“Some of us held signs up by the pool, trying to get people to come donate or take the car on a test drive,” junior varsity midfielder Hayden Elley said. “We were able to advertise the fundraiser pretty well and raise the money we wanted.”
The program had an idea of the amount of money they wanted to raise that would give them enough to pay for all the expenses in the upcoming season. According to Horvath, it takes more money than most think to run a club sport.
“We wanted to raise as much as possible as any amount helps fund the team,” Horvath said. “We use it for light and field maintenance and taking us on trips.”
Sports like lacrosse have a lot of gear: helmets, gloves, sticks, cleats, jerseys, and more. Fundraising is super important for these sports as they need to be able to provide the necessary equipment for their players.
“As a club sport, everything is funded by the players and families,” Laurel said. “Our goal as a program is to provide the players with the best experience possible and be able to purchase everything from field rentals, team gear, dues, tournament fees, and more.”
The coaches and booster club members strive to raise enough money each year to equip the players for a strong season and make sure they are ready to play their best. With this money they are able to buy matching team gear and nice fields which can boost team morale and strengthen the players’ bond as a group.
“Fundraising really helps the team out a lot,” Elley said. “We help each other promote, see how much money we raised as a program, and then get to see what cool gear and competitive tournaments we can get into. It’s fun coming together to try and reach one big goal.”
