The Graham Kapowsin Booster Club has been able to support scholarships for GK students thanks to a unique fundraising effort that took place under the leadership of former Booster Club President Shannon Scacciotti and Treasurer LouAnn Crook.
At the time, Shannon and LouAnn had begun a small prayer campaign between the two of them, asking for guidance and resources to strengthen the Booster Club’s fundraising efforts, particularly in support of student scholarships.
After hosting several GK Football fundraisers, LouAnn was approached by a warehouse owner who asked if the GK Booster Club would be interested in accepting a donation of purses and winter gloves that had been abandoned by a company. The same offer had been extended to a private school in the Puget Sound area, but they did not have the ability to store the items and declined. As a result, the full shipment was donated to the GK Booster Club. The donor asked to remain anonymous, and their identity remains unknown to this day.
LouAnn’s property included a hangar, which was used to store the first shipment of boxes. The space quickly filled. Additional items, including coin purses, were later stored and sold out of LouAnn’s vacant apartment on her property as well as from vehicles, the GKHS parking lot, community events, Frontier Bar sales, Freddie Fest, the GK Bazaar, Back to School Days, and other opportunities where the Booster Club could sell the items for $5 to $10 each.
Because the merchandise had been donated to the Booster Club as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the items could be sold as donated goods to raise funds for the club’s mission.
Through these efforts, the Booster Club successfully sold more than $50,000 worth of merchandise!
Recognizing the importance of protecting and preserving these funds, Shannon and LouAnn worked with the Booster Club membership to determine the best long term solution. After discussion and a formal vote of the membership, the funds were placed into an account with the Greater Tacoma Community Foundation, similar to the structure used by the BEST Scholarship program. This approach allowed the funds to be professionally managed and preserved to help provide scholarships for GK students for years to come.
Strict procedures and agreements were established to ensure the scholarships remain focused on supporting students connected to GK Booster families.
If the Graham Kapowsin Booster Club were ever to dissolve, the scholarship funds would be transferred to the BEST Scholarship Fund to continue supporting students.
