Roosevelt Football Boosters Need Your Help

The high school football season is fast approaching, and the Rough Rider Booster Club needs your help supporting the team this fall.

At this point, you may be asking yourself "What exactly does the football booster club do?" My response to you is: what don't they do?

Mike Spicer, a longtime member of the booster club, ran down the short list for me of how the booster club keeps between 100 and 150 players (including freshmen) at their best for the 13-plus week season.

"The booster club makes sure that the players have snacks and meals during the season to keep up their energy levels and get the nutrients into their systems that they need while working so hard," Spicer said in an email. "Whether it be fresh fruits, nuts, granola bars, peanut butter sandwiches, ice cream ... the boys have something to look forward to after a full day of practice and before games. The booster club currently offers the team three formal meals during the season that take place on Wednesday nights after practice. The players also receive food and snacks after every game — home and away."

As you can imagine, feeding close to 150 teenage boys for three long months after workouts carries a big price tag.

Spicer said this effort can cost as much as $5,000 each season. The money is typically raised through fundraisers, club donations, corporate sponsors and private donations.

But before the start of this season the club lost a few of its longtime corporate sponsors.

"With the economy the way it is, our fund is not where it needs to be at this time of year and we are looking for donations," Spicer said.

If you're interested in helping the boosters, call Spicer at 330-322-1556.