School funding is all across the news this week as teachers in Arizona and Oklahoma are pushing for livable wages and funding for basic school supplies. In our own county school funding gaps exist and grow wider as PTAs and booster clubs in the more suburban areas raise funds to support schools and sports programs.

You can read more about how school fundraising increases public school inequity here.

For years our local high school, Jefferson Junior/Senior High School, has not had a sports booster club. The other area high schools, Wheat Ridge and Lakewood, both have booster clubs and most recently Lakewood’s baseball booster program raised almost $60,000. Jefferson parents have put in time and energy to support their child’s teams but with over 90% of Jefferson parents struggling against the roadblocks of poverty they cannot complete with the programs at Lakewood and Wheat Ridge. With limited funds for sports, our Jefferson athletes have outdated sports equipment and this spring our baseball players don’t have baseball cleats and other basic baseball equipment. Quality sports programming is important to us because it increases school attendance and student achievement.

For this reason, we are offering support for the Jefferson Booster Club and its upcoming golf tournament on May 21 at the Lakewood Country Club. The Lakewood Country Club is one of the oldest golf courses in Colorado and was founded in 1908. The golf course just went through a Master Plan redesign by the famed Gil Hanse. Most recently Hanse designed the 2016 Olympic Course in Rio. The Jefferson Booster Club Tournament will be the first event on the newly redesigned course.

Our goal is to raise $10,000 which will almost double the sports budget at Jefferson.

Join us on May 21, enjoy some golf on a beautiful course and support the sports programs at Jefferson Junior/Senior High School! Click here to register online.

We are also looking for local businesses to be hole sponsors which comes with a golf foursome.

Click here to learn more.