Thanks/Giving to raise funds for Alder athletic facility
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The white-roofed sections in this rendering represent the proposed athletic training facility at Jonathan Alder High School. The sections, all of which would connect to the existing high school, would house indoor practice facilities for baseball/softball, football/soccer and wrestling.In the spirit of the upcoming holiday, the Jonathan Alder Athletic Department and Education Foundation invite the public to a Thanks/Giving event to benefit the school’s proposed practice facility for athletes.
Former Jonathan Alder athlete Donnie Nickey, now retired from the NFL’s Tennessee Titans, will be one of the featured speakers. The Nov. 20 event will take place at 7 p.m. in the Jonathan Alder High School gym. Also speaking will be Athletic Director Tom Vargo and Jonathan Alder baseball coach Craig Kyle.
School board member and Jonathan Alder alum Dr. John Adams is spearheading the fundraising drive. The goal, he said, is to construct indoor practice facilities for baseball/softball, football/soccer, and wrestling. The facility’s three sections would wrap around and connect to the existing high school. Funding is to come completely from private sources; no taxpayer dollars will be used.
Adams made the first donation. Since then, the fundraising committee has collected another $1,250 toward the $15,000 needed for the design phase. The cost of construction has not been determined.
Those who attend the Nov. 20 event will get to see the preliminary plans. Committee members will talk about ways residents and fans can contribute.
The “thanks” part of the Thanks/Giving will come from former athletes who have been invited to share stories about their experiences, skills learned, scholarships earned, values acquired and wisdom gained while a part of Jonathan Alder athletics. Organizers are collecting contact information for former athletes and cheerleaders. Anyone with such information is asked to contact Tom Vargo at tom.vargo@japioneers.org.
All monetary donations made to the athletic training complex are tax deductible. Checks should be made out to the “Jonathan Alder Education Foundation” and mailed in care of Jerry May to 7931 Price-Hilliard Road, Plain City, OH 43604.
May is president of the Education Foundation, a non-profit organization that operates separately from the school district to benefit a wide variety of projects in the school district, from scholarships to purchases of equipment and materials for academics and extracurriculars.