Stuff To Read
Columbia Football Booster Club
Columbia Football Booster Club
P.O. Box 502
East Greenbush, NY 12061
Michael Leonard, Athletic Director
Tracy Dedrick & Pamela McHale, Co-President Craig Cavotta, Head Coach Andrew Gawys, Vice President Dan Hansen, Varsity Assistant Coach
Denise Loban, Treasurer Kevin Lehayne , JV Head Coach Joyce Feeley, Member at Large Mark Harrington , JV Assistant Coach Deb Shaver, Concession Coordinator Chris LeGare, Freshman Head Coach
Dear Parents and Guardians;
Welcome to the Columbia Football 2011 Season. We are really excited about the season. The Coaches and the Players have been working really hard to be ready to play football. The Booster Club has been getting ready for an exciting season too. This letter will provide a lot of important information for your football family. Please take a few minutes to read over. If you have any question, please do not hesitate to contact the booster club through the website, or call the Booster Club President directly at 518-258-1822.
This season will build on the successes of the past seasons. To make the season as great as possible, the players and coaches are counting on the Booster Club to support the mission of football. Who are members of the Booster Club, you are. The Football Booster Club membership consists of parents, guardians, past players and parents, coaches, administrators and teachers as well as community members that love football and are strong supporters of the Columbia Football Program. The time is now to get involved with your Football Booster Club.
The following are some important details for the new football season:
Coach Craig Cavotta: Head Football Coach Craig Cavotta has prepared a welcome letter to all parents and families and packet of information which is enclosed with this information.
Website: www.ColumbiaFootball.org The Football Booster Club sponsors this website. This will be the primary means of communication for players and parents. If you do not have access to the internet, please contact me and I will ensure that you receive our communications. Friends of the Blue Gridiron – Columbia Football is our facebook page. Please “like” us.
Meeting Schedule: The Football Booster Club meets on the second Tuesday of every month. Meeting are held at Columbia High School and run from 7-9. The Booster Club meets during the months of May, June, July, August, September, October and November. The Booster Club does not meet during the months of December, January, February and March, and April, but will conduct business via email and make announcement via the website.
While it would be great to have a large attendance at each meeting it is understood that many cannot make every meeting. Booster Club members should feel free to attend any portion of a meeting, and to contact the club officers for regular updates. Meeting minutes will be posted on line as soon as possible. We are looking forward to help from all booster club members, even if they are unable to attend every meeting in its entirety.
Philosophy: The Booster Club has worked closely with the coaches to put the basic philosophy and goals of the club and the program in writing. The philosophy is posted on the Football Website. In addition, the School District has a clear philosophy on all levels of play. Please see the Columbia Athletic page on the School District Website for details.
Activities: The primary goal and philosophy of the Football Booster Club is to support the Columbia Football Program. The Club operates under the power of volunteers. We have put together a volunteer signup sheet that includes many different types of activities. Help is needed for everything from concession stand to inventorying equipment. Some jobs require a one time commitment, others are a bit longer. Please choose at least one or two areas that you can help. Anything that you do is helpful and will make a better program for our players. Please return the form to the Booster Club PO Box, or download from our website and complete electronically and return to us.
Sportswear: Everybody loves Columbia Sportswear. What a great way to support the team with a stand full of Columbia gear. We have a full selection of sportswear on display during home games.
Fund Raising: The Booster Club again this year will be selling “The Columbia Card”. Football is an expensive program, and while we are thankful for the generous support of the district, the additional funds raised by your Booster Club goes a long way in supporting the players through the extra equipment, a better equipped weight room and locker room, and a great annual celebration banquet for all levels of play.
Columbia Football will also be holding a Metal Drive. We have not set the dates yet, and more info on the collection of the metal items for recycling will be forth coming. We also need help with many different tasks on that weekend. Anyone who can help, even for a short time should speak to Booster Club VP Andy Gawys
Sponsorship Program: Columbia Football thrives with support from local businesses and fans. No level of support is too small. Please look the info over and see if you can support the program at a minimum level, or recommend the program to a local business. The publicity opportunities for a business are great, with almost 4,000 attending the homecoming event.
Concession Stand: The football program runs a concession stand during all home events. In order to offer the concession stand we need help. Each family should plan on working in the concession stand at least one game per season. Many people are needed for the Varsity games. You can sign up for 1/2 a game. No experience is necessary, and every little bit helps. Concession help is also needed for JV, Freshman and Modified.
Game Day Help: Game day help is needed for all levels, please check with your team for volunteer opportunities for chain gang, for all levels and spotting and announcing at JV, Freshman and Modified.
Team Meals:The Varsity team holds a weekly team meal on the day before each game. The Team Meal Coordinator for Varsity is Karen McGuiggan. Karen will contact Varsity Parents to secure donations for each meal. The JV team will hold a team meal after practice, before the EGPW Night and also at Homecoming. A JV Parent will coordinate these team meals and contact parents for donations. Freshmen will have one pregame snack, and modified will have a pizza party. The Team Meals are a time for the players and coaches to share time together. Families donate the food for the team meals, and lots of help is appreciated and needed.
Family Kick-Off Barbecue: The first family event sponsored by the Football Booster Club will be the Annual Kick-Off Barbecue, held on Friday, August 26, @ 5 PM. This great event occurs after the last double session practice for the players. The Booster Club will provide hot dogs and hamburgers, with each grade level providing an item for the meal. Seniors will be contributing salads, Juniors-drinks, Sophomores–deserts and Freshmen-chips. Tracy Dedrick will be chairing this event, and will be looking for help. This is a great way to start the season, and raffles will be held for Columbia gear. Please bring a chairs for your family and your item to share.
Alumni Night: The first Columbia Home game each year is the alumni game. Please plan on attending and invite alumi to the game which will be held on Friday, September 16, at 7:00 PM. . Columbia Football alumni; players, coaches and family are invited to the event. This first home game will also be EGPW night, where all EGPW players and cheerleaders in uniform will receive free admission. Also the EGTA Teacher of the Year will also be honored at this game.
In summary, we are ready to kick off the football season, and are excited about the new field, and the great program that we have at Columbia, the professional coaching staff, the committed players, and the loyal fans. Each football family is part of the booster club, and even a small contribution of time is important to the program. Please take the time to read through the info from Coach Cavotta , Volunteer signup sheet, , and Sponsorship info.
In addition, if you know of a Football family that has not received this mailing, including alumni, please pass of this info. We are counting on your family to make this a great year for all the players.
Yours in Football,
Tracy Dedrick & Pamela McHale
Columbia Football Booster Club Co-Presidents
