Roseburg Booster Club Reorganizes
November 8, 2017
For Immediate Release
Contact: Brian Prawitz (541) 643-1085
Roseburg Indian Booster Club reorganizes
New RHS Foundation plans to increase support, impact
(Roseburg, Or) – After decades of supporting athletics, scholarships, and other activities at Roseburg High School, the Roseburg Indian Booster Club has filed a name change with the state and reorganized with a new board of directors and bylaws. The organization is now officially known as the Roseburg High School Foundation.
For over a year, a group of interested community members—including Booster Club officers and other volunteers—met regularly to research how to expand the organization’s impact in the school and community as well as plan for its future. The decision was made to pursue transitioning the Booster Club to a foundation model, change the name and draw up new bylaws. The group recruited a new 15-member board of directors and elected officers: Brian Prawitz, President; Karen Goirigolzarri, Vice President; Brett Moyer, Secretary; Tom Davidson, Treasurer.
“The great leadership and participation in the Booster Club served Roseburg High School well for a very long time,” says Prawitz. “Recent Past Presidents Janice Wimberly and Steve Lovemark have done an amazing job managing so many projects. Historically, things like athletic photos, selling spirit items, organizing rooter buses and holding the annual banquet were how it was done and many, many people were involved. Over the years, as the effectiveness of that model has evolved, it became clear to Booster Club leadership that a new model was needed. The concept of a Foundation was born from our desire to continue generating the funds needed to support scholarships, classroom grants and special projects – which remain the core purposes of the organization.”
Janice Wimberly served as Booster Club President for many years and is a member of the new Foundation’s board of directors. “The amazing kids at RHS are a constant source of inspiration,” says Wimberly. “It was a labor of love to work on Booster Club activities as one way to support them.” Wimberly says she plans to use her vast experience with the Booster Club and as a band parent along with her connections in the community to help grow the Foundation’s reach. “Last year the Booster Club distributed $5,000 in classroom grants and another $5,000 in scholarships,” she says. “We’re excited about a future where we hope to be able to make much larger distributions.”
Karen Goirigolzarri, former RHS principal and newly elected vice president of the RHS Foundation Board of Directors, was deeply interested in finding new ways to support the school after her retirement in 2015. She studied other school foundations in the region and attended a statewide conference to learn more. “Many communities across the country have worked to establish their own independent, nonprofit school foundations to serve as vehicles for fundraising on a larger scale,” she says. “I’m excited to be part of the RHS Foundation as we share the stories of our amazing school and its students and staff to broader audiences. We’ll be reaching out to our community and alumni, near and far, inviting them all to be a part of our school’s future.”
Brett Moyer, who graduated from RHS in 2001 and is now a branch manager at Rogue Credit Union, is the Foundation’s board secretary. “My father was an educator and coach at RHS. I loved my time at RHS. Working with such a great group of individuals for a school that I love makes it easy to say yes. I’m passionate about the continued success at RHS and want to give back.”
Tom Davidson, retired certified public accountant, was elected treasurer of the Foundation. “The Roseburg High School Foundation, like its predecessor the Roseburg Indians Booster Club, will remain a tax-exempt 501(c)3 nonprofit entity according to IRS rules,” says Davidson. “It is independent of Roseburg High School and the school district and will be a landing place for contributions, large and small, from individuals and businesses who want to help make our school the best it can be.” The Foundation plans to prepare brochures and distribute information that will be helpful for financial and estate planners as well, according to Davidson. “People whose lives have been touched by RHS may wish to leave a legacy,” says Davidson. “This Foundation is definitely about building a solid base of support and growing it.”
The Roseburg High School Foundation can be reached at roseburghighschoolfoundation@gmail.com and found online at www.roseburghighschoolfoundation.com.
###