BU Sports Teams Raise Funds
Photos courtesy of Nathaly Granda Betancourt.
Bluefield University sports teams are holding fundraisers and getting sponsorships to help provide the necessary resources to make their programs a success.
Among the teams busy generating more money for its program: women’s basketball. Head coach Jake Wright spoke about his team’s efforts to fund raise.
“We have done a couple of fundraisers, such as using a donation link on our Day of Giving, which helps bring in some money,” Wright said. “We have done a Free-throw-athon, where people sponsor players for every made free-throw made out of 100.”
Wright also mentioned an upcoming fundraiser for women’s basketball.
“We are about to start our calendar fundraiser,” Wright said, “which is a pick a date to donate, where you get someone to sponsor each day of the month, and the day is the amount you give.”
Wright also spoke about why he thinks it is important for each team to plan and implement fundraising projects for their programs.
“I think it’s very important for each team to fund raise on their own, because it allows them to be self-sufficient and to set goals for them to achieve, and they can purchase what they need and want throughout the year,” Wright said. “Being able to fund raise allows us to help our university when needed. That way money from the university can be used for other projects.”
Madison Whisman, who is the coach for BU e-sports, shared his insight on how his team is raising money for its program.
“Currently, I am working with GigaBeam Networks for some sponsorships and possible fundraising,” Whisman said. “As a partner with Bluefield University, they are also paramount in helping students with online scholarships and tuition discounts for their customers who attend BU online.”
Whisman also spoke about why he thinks it’s important for each team to fund raise on its own.
“I think that it is important that teams or organizations raise funds for their programs,” Whisman said, “because it helps the program in numerous ways.”
Another BU team fund raising is the women’s soccer team, who recently traveled to Ridgeway, Virginia, for a NASCAR race at Martinsville Speedway. There, the team raised funds by working concessions, serving as ushers, and helping with anything the track personnel needed them to do.
“Fundraising can help with cost of keeping equipment and facilities up to date and top quality,” Whisman added. “It can help with travel expenses and competition fees and also with training and development to help advance the team’s skills. Fundraising can help sustain a program’s success over time, by allowing them to continue to upgrade and improve on the program and keep a competitive edge.”
