Eastipedia: All Sports Booster Club

An overlooked but crucial part to the success of SM East athletics is the All-Sports Booster Club. The club brings funding and support from parents and members in the community.

East’s booster club was established in 1968 by Dr. Art Newcomer, a former athletic director. It was created to provide equal financial help to all sports. The current club president is Jan Creidenberg. The East booster club raises money through annual memberships dues, advertisements and game day programs. The bulk of the money raised comes from the Fall, Winter and Spring sports booster books. The booster books feature advertisements from companies and parents with encouraging notes to individual athletes and individual teams.

The East All-Sports Booster Club helps to provide funding for 23 sports and athletic activities. The 2010-2011 East All-Sports Booster Club provided each sport with $1,200. The booster club more than doubles the funding from the district for East athletics.

The money is used for coaches’ and trainers’ salaries, transportation, referee fees and even pre-game and post-game meals. It also helps to purchase new and better equipment like new bench covers and padding for the weight room, new football jerseys each year to replace those given to the past year’s seniors and new uniforms to keep up with growing teams like Cross Country.

The booster club also helps to pay for 5th Quarters, which are post-game parties after some football and basketball games that provide an alternative for students and athletes to have fun without the use of drugs or alcohol.