PINE PLAINS — The Pine Plains Bomber Boosters will be hosting a “Music Bingo” fundraiser at the Grove Restaurant at Red Hook Golf Course Saturday, Jan. 18, as part of a more robust fundraising strategy.
Booster club president Nina Osofsky said the success of last June’s golf tournament inspired the club to plan more community events.
“We had 123 participants in 100 degree weather,” Osofsky said of the Juneteenth golf tournament. “It was an amazing success.”
Strong community ties keep each of the seven active boosters club officers committed to the group, Osofsky said. All of them are moms with athlete students, but they do it for more than just their own kids.
Osofsky said the booster club started in a time when school budgets didn’t support basic equipment and transportation costs for athletics programs. Parents, mostly stay-at-home moms at the time, stepped up to source money so students could have sports. Now, she said, schools provide for the necessities for basic safety and facilities to practice and competition. So the booster club focuses on making sport more affordable for parents and providing opportunities for special trips and clinics.
The boosters sent the Pine Plains baseball and softball teams to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, for Spring training and they’re sending the basketball team to a cancer awareness tournament at Union College this December.
Among the big expenses are several “regular” things the booster club does for Pine Plains sports, Osofsky said. At every game the club staffs a concession stand with peppy students to cheer on their classmates. They also make snack bags for athletes embarking on long trips.
To help the boosters and Pine Plains athletes, Osofsky said parents don’t have to show up to every boosters club meeting. “Just take on the role of being a liaison and promoting your child’s sport,” Osofsky said. “And we always take donations.”
More information on the Bomber Boosters can be found on their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ppbomberboosters.
