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ABOUT BOOSTER CLUB

Westhill Booster Club

The Westhill Booster Club is a New York State Not for Profit Organization which maintains a 501(c) (3) tax status. Its purpose, as stated in the bylaws, is to support and promote all educational activity groups at Westhill High School by uniting students, parents, coaches, faculty, staff, and community in a way that enhances the sharing of school spirit and provides moral as well as financial support. The Booster Club is constantly seeking new ideas and members to assist our students. Our goal is to expand our membership and volunteer force with new faces and ideas.

Booster club purpose

We support clubs and teams within the Westhill School District. None of the success of the Booster Club would happen without the efforts of many wonderful volunteers - energetic and passionate people who 'just do it for the kids'.

Why Volunteer for the Booster Club?

The Westhill Booster Club affects the lives of every student by providing access to fields, equipment and facilities related to athletics that are out of reach of regular support by county budgets. Whether your student is an athlete, a participant in PE, or a fan, the Booster Club helps to make the experience safer, more competitive or just more fun by providing resources and support. In 2015-16, over $80,000 went to projects including new helmets for the lacrosse team, a new stadium sound system, maintenance of all the beautiful surrounding athletic fields, a practice wall for multiple sports, a tractor for baseball and softball fields, support for the fast-growing ice hockey and crew clubs, and a financial commitment for replacement dugouts.

Boosters fosters an active and spirited community by managing the school apparel store, seeking sponsors in the community, providing the concessions stand inventories, and running local Community Nights to encourage the surrounding community to experience and embrace our school. The Boosters also encourages youth leadership by sponsoring seasonal captains’ luncheons to recognize and educate athletic leaders.

New projects are always in the works, and this year is no exception. And, the usual challenges remain – How will we provide more and safer equipment? How will we staff our concessions stands and the school spirit store? Who will be there to cheer our athletes?

You have the answers to these questions. Join our team of involved and active parents in addressing these questions, then ask more of your own on how to make our athletic program safer, more challenging and more fun. We look forward to working with you.

Fundraising

Funds raised by booster clubs are used for the following (1) to provide financial support to students and athletes enrolled in the Westhill Central School District in the form of stipends used to subsidize educational events and athletic competitions and related travel, equipment, lodging and meals; (2) to promote and encourage the participation in educational events, athletics for

competition and pleasure by students at the Westhill Central School District through programs

such as fundraisers and pep rallies; and (3) to foster the preservation of academics and athletics within the Westhill Central School District through the provision of funding and administrative support.

Meetings

The Westhill High School Booster Club meetings are a great way to meet fellow WHS Booster Club members, share ideas, and find out what’s going on with the educational events and athletic programs in the district. All meetings are at 7:00 p.m. and in most cases are held in the WHS cafeteria. Please join us!

Westhill High School Booster Club Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What does the Booster Club Do?

A: The Booster Club is an interactive, non-profit organization affiliated with the Westhill School District. Its membership includes parents, WHS staff, and other adults in the community who support Westhill students and student-athletes. The Booster Club sponsors numerous activities and fundraisers annually to supplement Westhill School District’s programs, educational events and athletic department.

Q: How does the Booster Club interact with the school, coaches, teams, and parents?

A: The Booster Club interacts with the school, coaches, teams and parents in a variety of ways. We hold monthly meetings, correspond with Booster Club members via email, add posts on our Facebook page, and work closely with key representatives for each team in the athletic and/or educational departments.

Q: What is the difference between a Board Member Rep (BMR) and a Parent Team Rep (PTR)?

A: Both roles are members of the Booster Club, but a BMR is a mandatory position required by the Booster Club that has a designated term and voting privileges at meetings for the distribution of funds. PTRs are parents designated by the team and/or education program to be the primary contact and liaison to the Booster Club. PTRs ensure the needs/requests of teams for fundraising and/or fund distribution requests on behalf of the team are performed in accordance with Booster Club rules.

BMRs are expected to attend Booster Club meetings all year long, not simply when the sport is in season. These BMRs report information back to their teams/coaches on Booster news and policies. Perhaps most importantly, each BMR is a member of the Booster Club Board of Directors and is entitled to cast one vote with regard to all Booster Club matters that require Board approval.

Parents filling the role of PTR (or any Westhill parent) are welcome and encouraged to attend Booster meetings and get involved in our many activities throughout the school year. In fact, we need volunteers so we can continue to grow and spread the Booster workload among as many people as possible. The primary difference between PTRs and BMRs for administrative purposes is that PTRs are not Booster Club Board members and thus are not asked to vote on certain Booster Club matters. No matter their role, the BMRS and PTRs all work in collaboration to support their representative team and/or organization to promote Westhill students.

Q: Why do teams need money?

A: The various programs, educational events, and athletic teams budget at Westhill do not always cover expenses for all items needed by these groups. The Booster Club raises money, promotes school spirit, establishes fundraisers, keeps Boosters and sponsors up-to-date on Westhill news, and encourages Westhill parents to do the same.

Q: If a team wants to raise money, what is the procedure?

A: All teams planning a fundraiser must complete a registration form that describes the fundraiser, staffing for the event and contact information for questions about the event. It also requires teams to get signatures from the coach(es) and/or parent representatives affiliated with the team sponsoring a fundraising event. All fundraisers must be approved by the Westhill Booster Club and WHS. Email: westhillboosterclub.president@gmail.com for a team fundraiser registration form.

Q: What happens to money raised by individual teams?

A: All funds collected during a team fundraiser must be deposited into a Booster Club account. The Booster Club will then designate the use of those funds back to the team doing the fundraising, subject to the approval of Booster Club Board.

Q: Who is the person in charge of the funds?

A: A parent volunteer or coach can be designated the person in charge of funds on the day of a fundraiser, but it is that person’s responsibility to get all donations, checks (made out to the Westhill Booster Club) and cash to the Booster Club treasurer as quickly as possible for proper accounting of all funds raised.

Q: Who should teams contact with additional questions about fundraising?

A: Please contact us by emailing westhillboosterclub.president@gmail.com

WESTHILL BOOSTER CLUB