Fundraising

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There are literally thousands of US charities that perform worthwhile functions. However, very few are local in nature and serve the local community in which we live. Fewer still contribute all of their donations directly to the intended recipients with many charitable organizations absorbing as much as 60% of donation dollars to pay salaries and administrative costs.

There is no greater reward than working with youth, where you can do so much for so many people. WSYAA activities stretch farther than the children that actively participate in youth athletics. These activities touch the lives of parents, grandparents, family friends, and distant relatives who visit the ballparks and gyms to watch them play. In days past the family dinner was one of the few times the family could congregate together. Today with the splintering of families, we see families congregating at the ballpark to enjoy their time with friends and family.

We see second and third generation youth participating in WSYAA activities, whose parents participated in Westside Youth Activities. We even see grandparents of current players talking to other grandparents about the big game they played in 1964 when they played together in WSYAA sports. WSYAA Athletics touches the lives of all youth who participate for their entire lives. These memories of our days participating in youth athletics are among our most vivid recollections of our childhood.

There is no greater worthwhile charity that builds community cohesiveness and community pride than youth athletics. Ballparks build community infrastructure and provide a family gathering place. Ballparks are self-sustaining landmarks that provide 100 years of enjoyment to generation after generation. While many charities have very noble and worthwhile causes, they can be sustained only as long as there are continuing contributions. Youth athletics sustain itself and require no ongoing financial input once facilities are in-place and there continues to be a passion for youth to participate.

Contributions to medical charities saves lives, but contributions to youth activities saves lives as well. The longer a community can keep their families together and their youth interested in athletics, the lower the probability of unwholesome distractions. Many communities have initiated "Safer Communities Through Sports" programs which have been highly effective in reducing the incidence of Youth Gang Violence. Youth crime has even contributed to rising crime rates here in Dalton. In major cities where youth crime is prevalent, cities have begun to reduce crime rates through construction of basketball courts and other facilities to provide entertainment for inner city youth.

Currently in China, the Chinese Government and (US) Major League Baseball are building baseball fields throughout China. Building ballparks is a central theme to China's new community-based plan to provide personal happiness in its' communist society.

As with any non-profit association, WSYAA survives solely on donations. WSYAA is recognized as both a State and Federal non-profit Association. Gifts are tax deductible. See tax donation form. We encourage everyone to donate as much as you can. It's for a good cause.

We have several avenues of raising funds at our disposal but these activities barely cover existing expenses for equipment and do not provide the necessary means to undertake major projects such as building facilities for future generations.

First is our picture day which we try to schedule so that all teams have pictures taken on the same day. The association actually receives a portion of these proceeds. This does not drive up costs of these photo's, since we issue a competitive bid for this service. However, the more pictures purchased, the more the association earns.

Second, we charge a $35 fee for each sport. A portion of this fee goes to the county to pay for field maintenance, officials and other county expenses. The rest goes directly to uniform and equipment costs.

Finally, we operate a concession stand during games. We try to supply pizza, chic-fil-a sandwiches and other foods for those attending games. With the lack of restaurants in the Westside area, a number of our supporters come to the park for Chic-fil-a Sandwiches a couple of times per week, rather than driving to Walnut Avenue. However, once the kids are at the ballpark, its difficult to leave.

These three fund raising options provide very few funds though. As you might imagine, our $35 enrollment fee is our largest fund raiser and 100% of this fee goes right back to your child for uniforms and equipment.

The Westside Youth Athletic Association is the largest youth Association in Whitfield County, yet we have fewer facilities for our youth than any other association. Team size must be increased due to a lack of adequate facilities and this translates to less playing time for our youth. This, eventually, leads to youth leaving the program.

If you work for a company that offers donations help us by asking them to make a donation. If you know of available grants or other sources of funds, please make someone at WSYAA aware of this funding. Investing in the youth of our community is the most noble cause imaginable.

2008 Westside Days Spring Carnival

We are in the initial discussion stages of planning a Westside Days Youth carnival to coincide with Team Picture Day in 2008. This could be our biggest fundraiser of the year and a great time to be had by all. We are seeking volunteers to assist with the organization of this event.

We need ideas for booths, vendors for cotton candy, hot dogs, soft drinks and other food items, game ideas for kids to participate in and staff to handle the gate admission and other duties. This is a community carnival, but we may draw from other communities, as well.. If you know of anyone that owns a concession cart and would like to participate in this carnival have them email their contact information to vendors@wsyaa.com

We are also seeking volunteers who can take on the task of organizing one booth and getting the booth ready for the carnival (staff, tent, all supplies, etc). For example, we have a local hairdresser who has volunteered to do face painting, temporary tattoo's and crazy spray painted hair. She will organize everything need to put the booth together for the carnival.

We would suggest you work with other parents on your Team or a couple of Teams to organize the booth. If every Team organized a booth, it would be the biggest Carnival in Whitfield County.

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