Commentary by Ernie Harshman

They say behind every great man is a great woman. Well, behind every great high school athletic program is a great booster club. Nothing is more true of the Bears Athletic Club (BAC) who has been supporting Lawrence Central (LC) Athletics for almost 40 years through various programs.

One of these programs is the Reverse Raffle. The Reverse Raffle is the largest fundraiser that the BAC hosts. Scheduled for May 2, the event will include food, drinks, music, games and a chance to win $2500. The BAC hopes to sell at least 700 tickets to the event with each ticket purchased being entered into the pot to win the $2500. The names will be removed from the pot until only one name remains- the lucky winner.

The proceeds from the fundraiser go directly to the BAC to provide funding for future athletic investments.

In addition to the reverse raffle, there will also be a silent auction, BINGO and a corn hole tournament. Tickets are $30 per person and dinner starts at 7 p.m. at Incredi-Plex. The theme of the fundraiser has been dubbed as a “Tailgate Party.”

The results of the BAC’s efforts with events like the Reverse Raffle are hard to miss, as they have already spent $30,000 on projects that include rebuilding the freshman baseball field, providing the funds for new fences on the junior varsity and varsity softball fields, and purchasing new golf bags and wrestling singlets.

In addition to providing tangible improvements, the BAC also aims to promote academic excellence by providing funding for the Bears Athletic Student Support (BASS) which brings in tutors to work with student athletes. According to assistant athletic director Alfie Hernandez, the mission of the program still remains the same today, as the club strives to support athletic excellence, promote active parent and community leadership and promote sportsmanship within all of LC’s teams.

Ernie Harshman is a contributing writer, and a student at Lawrence Central High School.