You're invited to LRS BroncBooster annual meeting

The LRS BroncBooster board and committee members are hosting the annual meeting on Sunday, April 22, at 2 p.m. in the Ritzville Municipal Golf Course clubhouse. The meeting’s purpose is to discuss the past year’s accomplishments, recognize those who have contributed and share ideas for the future.

The LRS BroncBooster board members for the current year are Rita Fryberger; president, Melva Eichner; vice-president, Colleen Ruzicka; secretary and Debbie Gering; treasurer. The board consists of these four positions and two at-large positions.

Memberships are collected between the October-October year and this year, the group had 38 new members and five new businesses join. The total number of members is 138 and there are 16 businesses.

Throughout the year, the BroncBooster members work on various projects and host fundraisers to assist the Lind, Ritzville and Sprague students. The fundraisers completed over the last year include a food booth at the Wheat Land Communities’ Fair, selling Christmas wreaths, hosted a silent auction and selling Bronco apparel.

“The apparel has helped bring more unity between communities and bring people together,” said Fryberger. “Our mission statement is to promote attendance at games and adult participation.”

The BroncBooster group is dedicated to giving back to the students, not only through athletics, but assists groups or clubs in raising funds as well. The concession stand at football games typically raises $400-600 a night, and BroncBoosters allows clubs and groups to run the stand during games.

The major project for the BroncBoosters this past year was painting the grandstands at the football field. Volunteers turned out to assist the BroncBooster members in the project, and with paint supplied by the school, the grandstands were transformed.

BroncBoosters received a grant from Caring Neighbors that allowed them to replace a sink in the concession stand and Pepsi Corporation donated a new side-by-side refrigerator to the stand. The group hopes to continue expanding and upgrading the concession stand at Jimmie Snider Field.

Among the list of accomplishments and projects, the BroncBooster group also ratified the bylaws by adding the concession stand, Project 56 and clarifying the scholarship to include students from Lind, Ritzville and Sprague schools.

Membership payments are the main funding source for the BroncBooster scholarship and allow the group to award four scholarships worth $500 each. The scholarships are awarded to students with strong academics, but are heavily weighed on community involvement and extra curricular activities.

After membership dues are paid, that individual or business has their name listed on the board inside of Gilson Gymnasium, recognizing them for the commitment to the schools. Businesses that become members generally sponsor events or activities, such as the t-shirt toss.

This year, Adam’s Automotive & Towing, Jake’s Café & Truck Stop, Leffel, Otis & Warwick, Taco Del Mar, Evergreen Implement and Brew Happy coffee shop sponsored the t-shirt toss. The t-shirt toss is a way to get the fans excited and to have fun during the games, even during intermissions.

The plans for the upcoming year include painting the baseball stands and cleaning the baseball diamonds. The BroncBooster group is hoping to have volunteers and donations to assist during the proposed event.

At the annual meeting, the BroncBoosters board is proposing that more committees should be created. Fryberger believes that having various committees allows the members to focus on one specific project and helps expand the group involvement beyond the board members.

The board members are elected at the annual meeting and are slated before being voted on. The slate allows members the opportunity to decline a certain officer position and voice which responsibility they feel most comfortable in.

All of the current board members, besides Ruzicka, are hoping to continue their involvement as board members, though the officer positions may change.

The LRS BroncBooster annual meeting is open to the public and door prizes are awarded throughout the evening. The BroncBooster board members encourage community members to attend and share ideas about future projects to help the schools.

For more information about the annual meeting or to learn more about the LRS BroncBoosters, e-mail [email protected], or visit the Facebook page by searching Lind-Ritzville-Sprague BroncBoosters.