JR Simplot donates $50K to CAA
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 4 months AGO
Surrounded by athletes, drama, choir and band students, Community Athletics and Activities directors accept a donation from the JR Simplot facility in Moses Lake. From left, CAA board members Eva Olson, Cody Parrish, Ryan Carpenter, Simplot facility Director Efrain Valdez, Simplot Regional Unit Director Zeke Rodriguez, and CAA board member James Getzinger.
CHERYL SCHWEIZER/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
So many Moses Lake School District students showed up to thank the JR Simplot company for its donation it took a while to assemble the group for a picture.
Student participants in almost every sport, in band, choir and drama showed up to express their appreciation for the donation from JR Simplot.
More than 150 Moses Lake students turned out to show their appreciation for a donation from JR Simplot to a group raising money to fund extracurricular activities in the next school year.
Those who would like to support Moses Lake School District extracurricular activities may do so through the QR code above. Funds go to Community Athletics and Activities.
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | July 23, 2024 3:20 AM
MOSES LAKE — The word went out from coaches and advisors — the JR Simplot company was stepping up to help out the Moses Lake School District extracurricular program with a $50,000 donation. The coaches and advisors suggested the students should turn out to show their appreciation.
And they did, on a hot sunny Monday afternoon outside the new Simplot facility under construction.
Football, softball, drama ...
Efrain Valdez, plant director for JR Simplot in Moses Lake, looked at the crowd.
“I wasn’t expecting this many kids,” he said.
Wrestling, choir, unified teams, cross-country ...
“Drone shot,” said one of the athletes.
Band, basketball, baseball, volleyball and more. There were so many that one of the Simplot employees taking pictures had to switch her camera to panorama.
“It’s insane. It’s awesome,” Valdez said.
Cody Parrish, a board member for Community Athletics and Activities, tried to keep track of the crowd. Between students, some parents and coaches, there were a lot.
“I counted 189 (people),” she said.
Athletes, actors, singers and musicians turned out as Valdez and Zeke Rodriguez, regional units director for Simpot’s Columbia Basin facilities, presented an oversized check to the CAA board.
Typically extracurricular activities are funded through the district’s educational programs and operations levy, but the rejection of the levy in April cut off that source of funding. Community Athletics and Activities was formed to help plug the gap. Board member Ryan Carpenter said the donation from Simplot is the biggest corporate donation to date.
“So the challenge is on the table,” Carpenter said.
“Through donations like this, and our golf tournament in September which raises scholarship funds for local students, we hope to encourage local youth to stay in school and find their passion,” Valdez wrote in a press release. “When businesses and community members like the (CAA) organization work together, no problem is too big to overcome. We hope this donation is the first of many to support the young people of Moses Lake.”
“Huge thanks. It’s amazing,” said CAA board member James Getzinger.
The CAA set up its donation website June 27, and as of Monday about $109,400 had been raised in online donations alone. In-person donations are coming in, including the Simplot donation. There’s also an anonymous donor who will match individual donations up to $50,000, and Carpenter said CAA has raised $45,000 toward that match.
The goal, he said, is to avoid limiting participation in extracurricular activities due to the funding shortfall. To that end, the CAA is raising as much money as possible while working with MLSD officials to refine the budget and keep costs down.
Donors have been generous - both local businesses and individuals have donated, large amounts ($5,000 and $10,000 in some cases) and small. A Moses Lake graduate living in Oklahoma sent $10,000, Parrish said.
The students are pitching in as well. A fundraiser is scheduled for Aug. 5, where extracurricular participants will assemble in the Moses Lake High School gym and start talking to people to raise money.
“It’s student-driven,” Parrish said.
Cheryl Schweizer may be reached at [email protected].
Community Athletics and Activities
CONTACT:
CAABooster.com
Donation site: https://bit.ly/MLCAA
[email protected]
MANAGING BOARD:
Ryan Carpenter, President
Jeremy Huberdeau, Vice President
James Gentzinger, Vice president
Eva Olson, Secretary
Cody Parrish, Treasurer
So many Moses Lake School District students showed up to thank the JR Simplot company for its donation it took a while to assemble the group for a picture.
Student participants in almost every sport, in band, choir and drama showed up to express their appreciation for the donation from JR Simplot.
More than 150 Moses Lake students turned out to show their appreciation for a donation from JR Simplot to a group raising money to fund extracurricular activities in the next school year.
Those who would like to support Moses Lake School District extracurricular activities may do so through the QR code above. Funds go to Community Athletics and Activities.ARTICLES BY CHERYL SCHWEIZER
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