Hello Eagle Families-

On behalf of the Eastwood Athletic Boosters Association, it is with great excitement that I welcome and present to you an opportunity to support Eastwood athletics through its newly organized Booster Club.  For starters, I believe a brief history is in order.

In December 2019, Jerry Rutherford approached me to inquire about what legal steps need to be taken in order to start a non-profit athletic booster program to support our student athletes and coaches.  When I met with Jerry, it was instantly clear to me how passionate he felt about this.  Jerry and I talked about how much Eastwood’s Athletic programs have done in so many people’s lives, and the positive effects it has (and continues to have) for countless people, myself included.  As a way to give back, Jerry shared that it has become his mission to make one last contribution to Eastwood Schools by getting an athletic boosters club started, and structuring it in a way that it can benefit our Eagle athletes for years to come.

Needless to say, Jerry’s passion and excitement became contagious, and before we knew it, we had a dedicated group of Eastwood community members working together to form what we now present as the Eastwood Athletic Boosters Association.  Our boosters club is 501(c)(3) organization, meaning that it is tax-exempt under the tax code.  This also means that contributions made to our organization are tax deductible.

It’s ironic that Jerry first approached me with this idea to provide support for our athletic programs in December in 2019, because at that time nobody could have predicted what would ensue just a few months later.  After the last year has produced significantly reduced, and in some cases, complete loss of revenue sources for our athletic programs, the need for support of our athletic programs is even greater than it was when we started this project in 2019.

If you review our bylaws, you will find the mission, objectives, and beliefs of this group are to support all Eastwood athletic programs, in an effort to ease the burdens that our coaches and players face when constantly tasked with conducting fundraisers, all with a positive and encouraging demeanor…and this is exactly what we set out to do!

The Boosters club is open to all dues paying adults who are interested in the athletic programs at Eastwood.  Dues are $25 each year per person, and membership runs from the date of which dues are paid through the following May.  For our inaugural year, dues paid prior to our Annual May meeting will still be good through May 31, 2022.   We will hold meetings at 7:00 p.m. in the Eastwood High School cafeteria on the 2^nd Monday of every month (excluding July).

There is no doubt in my mind that a lot of my personal life successes can be attributed to lessons learned, friendships made, and confidence gained while participating in athletics at Eastwood.  Nothing is more rewarding than watching our younger generations fulfil those same rewards for themselves.  Maybe you are an Eastwood community member or alumnus who has had a similar experience, or perhaps you have children at Eastwood.  No matter what your connection is to Eastwood Athletics, if helping our young people get the most out of their athletic experiences is important to you, please consider joining the Boosters!  Thank you for your consideration, and Go Eagles!

Kyle E. Wright, President