What does a booster club do to raise money when it can’t do the things it’s done for years? That scenario faced many clubs across the state in 2020, none more than the Creekview Mustangs Booster Club.
“It’s been an interesting couple of months,” said Steven Sallis, the booster club president. “We couldn’t even sell t-shirts at the stadium. Any time you can sell things face-to-face, it’s better than doing things digitally.”
Sallis developed his passion for football before digital options to support football programs. He saw how the South Grand Prairie community supported football teams anchored by B.J. Johnson, and that’s how he wants his community to support the Mustangs today.
“I want my kids to experience football the way I did,” he said. “We were the community superstars. I want all of these boys to have a sense of that.”
In 2020, Sallis and his fellow club members did what they had to do by rethinking things.
They couldn’t hold the annual Senior Mom’s Breakfast. There was no preseason swim party where the families and players could get to know each other. And then the season arrived with a new set of restrictions, including the news that the club couldn’t sell its merchandise and signage at the stadium.
“I know a lot of ways to raise money, but we just couldn’t do a lot of those things this year,” he said. “We were looking forward to making things happen next year, getting back to having garage sales, festivals and things like that.”
Down but not out, the club pressed forward.
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