Fundraising efforts come together at athletics and activities banquet

If the initial community outreach bares any indication on the future of La Grande High School athletics and activities, then everything looks really good.

Tickets are sold out for the LHS Activity-Athletic Fundraising Banquet sponsored by the Oregon National Guard 3rd Battalion 116th Calvary.

Teresa Dowdy said that 280 tickets have been sold for the event, a sell-out.

But, it’s not just the people wanting to attend the event.

As of today the auction and raffle will feature more than 500 items.

“The community support has been amazing,” Dowdy said. “I didn’t even have to make many calls. Everyone was calling me. This event couldn’t have happened without the support of everyone, and the hard work of the committee.

“There’s going to be something for everyone. We have items ranging from $5 to $1,000. We have so many items, that we’ll be giving away door prizes, too.”

Orv Goodard, Doug Hislop and Verle Miller will be the main MCs for the event.

“It’s great that these three individuals are donating their time to help us out,” Dowdy said.

The doors will open at 5:30 p.m. Saturday and dinner will begin at 6:30.

A special behind-the-scenes guest will also be in attendance — LHS graduate Jenny Brogdon.

She has helped broaden the base of support by bringing the Tiger Booster Club into the technology era.

Brogdon graduated from LHS in 1999. She participated in a wide variety of athletics and activities. She went on to the University of Oregon, where she competed in track and field.

Currently she lives in Olympia, Wash., and is training for the 2012 Olympics in the high jump. Brogdon also spent three years helping coach track and field.

“I wouldn’t be where I’m at today without the cocurricular activities I participated in during high school,” Brogdon said. “It was a great time for me, and helped mold me into the person I am today.

“It’s difficult to put a dollar amount on the value of these programs.”

She gave the idea for the PayPal account on the booster club page, to make it easier for people to donate money.

Brogdon also helped set up a Facebook account for La Grande High School.

“We wanted to find a way to make things simple,” Brogdon said of the PayPal account. “This way people don’t have to mail anything in, or be in the same state.

“The purpose of the Facebook account was to help connect and inform people about what’s happening.

“It’s going to help the alumni reconnect, which is also a good thing. We all benefited in someway from the cocurricular activities and if we can, we need to help out.”