New Moses Lake nonprofit seeks to preserve student experience, motivation

MOSES LAKE — With financial struggles, the Moses Lake School District cannot afford extracurriculars of all sorts, from football to band to theater, for the 2024-25 school year. However, community members have formed the nonprofit Community Athletics and Activities to make sure children don’t miss out on important experiences.

“Just to give some idea of the motivation and the determination of the group (our) board put together, their nonprofit got their tax ID in three weeks when they were told three to six months. That’s a persistent, dedicated group that’s motivated to get things done quickly,” said Brian Skaug, a CAA member. 

The group will need dedication to reach its goal of funding all of the district’s student activities, Skaug said. That includes football, softball, track, band, theater and all of the extracurricular activities that students want to participate in. Due to restrictions from various state and federal laws, students need equal opportunities to access activities, sporting or otherwise. In order to ensure all of the students can access the activities, CAA has a significant fundraising goal.

“The goalpost is $2.6 million. The athletic director, Loren Sandhop, has committed to starting all activities — he’s not just the athletics director but the activities director as well. (He’s) committed to start off all activities at a bare-bones budget basis. No fluff. Simply offering and providing the means to participate,” Skaug said. 

That $2.6 million is the amount needed for the full school year that begins next month, Skaug said. That means the group needs to have raised enough by that time to start fall activities, and will continue fundraising throughout the year to try to make certain that spring activities are supported as well. 

As of Saturday, CAAs crowdfunding through Zeffy.com had reached $92,870, according to the crowdfunding site. Donations ranged from $5 to $10,000 through that channel. Donations can be set up for a few dollars a month, a one-time donation option is also available. Donors can decide whether or not to leave a portion for Zeffy to support the platform’s work to support nonprofits.

Skaug said he was aware of at least one local corporation looking at donating $50,000, and others have expressed interest in supporting school activities.

Through Aug. 8, donations will be matched by a local anonymous donor up to $50,000.

Skaug is on a subcommittee within CAA that is working to identify those willing to donate what they would have paid in property taxes had the Moses Lake School District levy passed earlier this year. The idea is that, if the people who either voted yes or would have voted yes if they'd had more faith in the district's ability to manage funds, can be identified, then they might be willing to contribute what they'd have paid in property taxes. That includes larger businesses that are saving a great deal on property taxes due to the levy failure.

A large part of the drive is that those working within CAA understand that many students are motivated by their extracurricular interests. While algebra or English might not be the thing that draws them in and keeps them motivated, band, choir, football and softball often keep students pushing through to graduation. 

That motivation and the difference extracurriculars make in students’ lives is the key motivator for many of the people participating in CAA, Skaug said. 

“Without that motivation, it’s probably safe to assume that we’re going to see a handful of kids drop off that otherwise would be engaged in school and working hard to stay in the club or on the field,” Skaug said. 

While CAA organizers understand the community is skeptical of MLSD’s ability to manage money, that’s what CAA is for. It provides a funding source with accountability outside of MLSD’s administration that pays for the activities for students. The goal is to take the trust concern out of the equation and simply focus on taking care of the student body.

Ryan Carpenter, president of CAA, said it’s important to keep things positive for students as adults in the community work to figure out and fix the problems with MLSD’s budget. The students didn’t cause the issues, but they’re the ones who would pay the proverbial price.

“The drive for this board to form and move forward with everything so quickly is the impact that can be made for these students in a positive way. There is already enough negative around these students, and adults for that matter, in the community, state, nation and world. We want to bring this community together to support ALL of these students that live to participate in their extracurricular activities,” Carpenter said. 

R. Hans “Rob” Miller may be reached at editor@columbiabasinherald.com.

Community Athletics and Activities

CONTACT:
CAABooster.com
Donation site: https://bit.ly/MLCAA
contact@caabooster.com 

MANAGING BOARD: 
Ryan Carpenter, President
Jeremy Huberdeau, Vice President
James Gentzinger, Vice president
Eva Olson, Secretary
Cody Parrish, Treasurer

    To donate to Community Athletics and Activities efforts to support activities for Moses Lake School District students, scan the code above with a smartphone or tablet.