Project 56 fundraisers are off and running

The Project 56 committee is hard at work and has begun increasing the amount of fundraisers as the expected cost of the project continues to rise. The group has already raised over a third of the money needed to complete the all-weather track project with around $117,000 currently raised.

Recently an updated budget for the cost of an eight-lane, all-weather track was requested from Beynon Atlas, a sports company that specializes in surfacing. The estimates received were for site work, concrete, equipment and various track surface options.

The current pricing estimate for the 10-lane straight, eight-lane oval, high jump area, four runways for long jump and pole vault track facility is $325,000. The county has agreed to provide in-kind labor to assist with the project, which reduces the overall cost significantly.

The Project 56 committee recently held a Pledge-A-Thon for the Lind-Ritzville/Sprague track and field athletes to participate in. Athletic director, Greg Whitmore, announced at the regular meeting on April 16 that about $650 in hard pledges had already been raised.

The Pledge-A-Thon is ongoing, as community members had the option to pledge a certain amount to an athlete based on how they placed in a specific track meet. Whitmore expects that the team should easily raise over $1,000 by the completion of the season and a few athletes have raised $100, which earns the athlete a meter.

The Project 56 committee has submitted an application for grants to the Paul Lauzier Foundation and to Burlington Northern Santa Fe. The Paul Lauzier Foundation provides charitable grants to support community development and youth programs, and the committee should find out if they received the grant in mid to late May.

The committee is still encouraging individuals to purchase meters for $100, and Al McBroom has created a poster board in order to record all of the purchased meters.

The board is portable, and is present at all of the Project 56 fundraisers for the public to observe the progress.

The next major fundraiser for the Project 56 committee is the golf tournament at the Ritzville Municipal Golf Course on Saturday, May 26, with a shotgun start at 8 a.m. The tournament has been scheduled for Ritzville Alumni Weekend to encourage former classmates to enter and compete.

There are sponsorship opportunities for local businesses to participate in for the event. A corporate scholarship is $500 and the company receives a four-player team in the scramble, advertising on tournament literature and signage at the tournament.

A business sponsorship is $250 and the company receives entry for two players in the scramble and signage at the tournament. There is also a “goody bag” opportunity where businesses can create and provide a bag filled with prizes from the business that each participant receives when they check in.

A raffle is being held at the event for donated items provided by local businesses or community members. A putting competition is being held at the event and the winner receives a new putter.

There is a sign-up list posted inside the clubhouse at the golf course and community members are encouraged to participate.

Another Memorial Day weekend fundraiser planned is a Freeway Challenge, where the participating businesses near the freeway would donate 10 percent of their profit from May 26 to the track fund. The date was selected because of the high volume of traffic coming through the area on that weekend.

The Project 56 committee is also hosting a barbeque during the car show at Ritzville City Park on May 27.

The other potential fundraisers for the group are a Bronco Round-Up, where local businesses ask customers if they would like to “round up” for the track project, and a Casino Night, which is tentatively scheduled for late summer or early, fall.

On June 16, the Project 56 committee is participating in the community garage sale in front of the Gilson Gymnasium. The group is having a table set up specifically for Project 56 funds that community members can donate items to.

If there are community members interested in having their own table at the event, the committee is considering selling tables for $5 and asking that 20 percent of the proceeds go to Project 56. The group is also looking into having a Goodwill truck come to the event and for items that do not sell but people want to be rid of, they can put in the truck and receive a small payment for the items.

The Project 56 committee has also teamed up with the Ritzville High School leadership class for the community garage sale event.

The remaining, valuable items from the sale are going to be put on an eBay account in order to allow the fundraiser to be an ongoing event.

For more information on the fundraisers or for questions about Project 56, contact Lori Olson at 659-1055 or by e-mail at [email protected].

The next regular meeting for the Project 56 committee is scheduled for Thursday, May 17 in the Ritzville High School library at 7 p.m. The meetings are open to the public.