"Let me make sure I've got this right - it's a soccer match... but the players are wearing dresses?"
"And tuxedos, yes sir. It's proper soccer match but with formal wear."
"Well, alright then. That sounds good."
And that with that first "well, alright then" from Stuarts Draft High School athletic director, Steve Hartley, we had our first vote of support from the community and a venue to host Soccer Prom.
We wanted to create a tentpole fundraiser that would serve two purposes: raise money and connect with the community. There are plenty of fundraising events that would satisfy those two requirements. But I had two additional requirements:
1. Let it be fun. Not all fundraisers are fun. Some of them are a real snooze-fest and often use the same bland formula over and over. That doesn't have to be the case. Let's put the fun in fundraiser.
2. Make a statement. Let's use this opportunity, however large a stage or small a voice we have, to say something with our event to illustrate our intentions. Let this be an expression.
Soccer Prom was designed with all of those in mind.
As I was going through the process of planning and developing Soccer Prom, it became more like writing an open love letter to the village that raised me and the next generation that was in its care. The same generation that I had returned to this village to help serve through my post as director of development at the Boys & Girls Club.
Everyone on the staff and board at the BGC cares deeply about the club's mission and serving every kid who comes through our doors. But each of us have certain threads of that mission that we are especially passionate about. One of my "threads" is working to help this community raise healthy, smart, passionate girls to be healthy, smart, passionate women. Since I was once one of this community's healthy, smart, passionate girls I feel like it's my turn to do my young sister friends a solid and help them cross the threshold.
Soccer played a big role in my evolution as a both an athlete and a woman. Soccer provides a rare freedom for girls. It's a game that rewards tenacity, assertion, and resilience. Creativity and innovation are essential to the game's free-form design. Dirt, bruises, and the occasional blood or grass stain come with the territory. This game is gender-blind by design. It is one of the only sports where the rules and regulations are identical for men and women. And it is SO MUCH FUN.
It's also the place where I felt most beautiful. Yes, beautiful. And it had absolutely nothing do with how I looked or what I was wearing. It was all about what I was doing together with the others on my team. Beating someone to the ball. Catching a clutch cross to the center. Fighting through a gaggle of defenders to fire a shot off. Toughness applauded. Precision rewarded. Hustle demanded. I felt most beautiful when playing The Beautiful Game.
I want all girls to feel beautiful because of what they are capable of doing.
Not because of how they look, what they wear, or how other people value their appearance.
(the same also goes for boys)
So I reached out and asked other adults to help send this message and support the cause. And they stepped up. Big time. Friends that were married just weeks ago (a couple returning from their honeymoon just days before the event) signed up for the showdown. People that were running a 5k the night before still registered to get in on the action. Ashton, goalie for Team White, is expecting his first child with his wife and still pushed to be an all-star on the field and in fundraising. Several former varsity players from the area (including 4 that I played with personally almost a decade ago) stepped up to be drafted for the cause. Over 7 staff members volunteered to get in the game including Eddie, Team Blue goalie, and our top fundraiser. All in all we had over 30 people who thought Soccer Prom sounded just crazy, fun, and important enough for them to put on dresses, bow ties, suspenders, and satin sashes... and play in a soccer match.
The community stepped up too. We had ten local businesses step up as well. I'm going to name every one of them because it's important to acknowledge when businesses (especially local ones) are good stewards of their community. Smooth Athletics, Reo Distribution, Valley Family Medicine, Sam's Hot Dogs, Buffalo Wild Wings, Mill Street Grill, Clocktower, Lingo Networks, John's Computer Service, and Zeus Digital Theaters.
Our promotional campaign also got an unbelievable response. Our YouTube trailers (which we shot in the backyard of our friend Lisa's house, who played on Team Blue and works at Project Grows, one of our partner organizations) collectively logged over 650 views in 2 weeks. Here they are if you haven't seen them all yet:
We had an OUTSTANDING response to our Facebook campaign with our Soccer Prom posts racking up over 300 likes and 120 shares. Our Facebook page itself accumulated over 80 new likes in the process. All together you helped us reach over 15,000 people on Facebook.
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The trailers, Facebook traffic, and poster campaign...
all led to TREMENDOUS fundraising success on our online fundraising platform CrowdRise.
Even after upping our player fundraising goal TWICE we still exceeded expectations. With over 200 donations Team Blue and Team White raised over $8200 (over %110 of our goal).
Our Soccer Prom King was Eddie Santiago (one of our amazing Staunton staff members who was our top fundraiser) and our Soccer Prom Queen was Sue Krzastek (who has been an outstanding volunteer and supporter of the club and even ran a 5k the night before the event. Our top fundraising lady!)
On the day of the event we had fans lining up well before the gates opened. Our board members and staff teamed up to get our photo walls and concessions set up while our players, donning their blue and white sashes took to the field for warm-ups. The whistle blew and the match kicked off. Fans watched as the players wrecked their fancy clothes playing The Beautiful Game. The whole night was beautiful imperfection. A couple of the stadium lights glitched out but it didn't slow anyone down. When the national anthem that was cued up didn't play, Joe, our emcee and one of our site directors on staff, grabbed the mic and sang it a cappella (AMERICA!). When the zipper on my dress broke right before I was about to take the field, our Director of Healthy Lifestyles, Pat, didn't blink before saving the day by giving me the dress she was wearing and changing into a t-shirt and shorts (Bless you, Pat!)
When all was said and done we had a tie game (2-2) and raised over $10,100. Amazing.
It was such an incredibly humbling experience to see this community rally behind a rather experimental idea in its first year with such enthusiasm. We have all been beside ourselves, totally overwhelmed by the extraordinary show of support. For the event. For our cause. For our club. For the kids. It's a gift we are treasuring and celebrating.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
We also received a fabulous amount of press!
and we made the front page of The News Virginian on Monday!
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Follow us on Facebook, subscribe to our YouTube Channel and this blog, and check out our BGC CrowdRise page to watch how the money you donated is invested in the youth that we serve. We believe we have to earn every donor dollar just like any business has to earn every consumer dollar. We don't believe in "black hole giving". We want you to see your contribution at work, daily, across our 7 sites.
So there you have it. The inside scoop on Soccer Prom.
Once again, thank you. So much.
Susan Caroline Artz, Director of Development
sartz@augustabgclub.org
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| photo courtesy of English Jackson |
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| photo courtesy of English Jackson |
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