A Boosters membership has always been a vital source of funding for every Acalanes sports program. The Acalanes High School District’s decided in 2013 to reduce athletics funding. The Acalanes Boosters Club through the hard work of its volunteers and the generosity of parents, alumni, community members, sponsors, donors, and partners, has filled the gap by providing over $200,000 per year to support the Acalanes High School athletic program. Our funding falls into four categories:

PROGRAM EXPENSES

To ensure the competitiveness and safety of Acalanes student-athletes the Boosters Club funds annual team expenses like:

• Team uniforms and warm-ups
• Team and player equipment
• Training and safety equipment
• Tournament fees
• Officials and staffing for non-league contests
• Transportation, lodging and meals

CAPITAL EXPENDITURES

The Boosters Club has undertaken significant projects over the last several years to enhance and improve the Acalanes athletic facilities including:

• Scoreboards for the stadium, main gym, baseball field, and softball field
• Main gym renovations, upgrades, and safety equipment
• Field renovations
• Training room renovations and upgrades plus watering carts and an ice machine
• Weight room equipment
• A utility vehicle for transporting equipment and personnel

TRAINER EXPENSES

An on-staff certified athletic trainer is a critical component of any high school athletics program. The Boosters Club makes certain all Acalanes student-athletes have access to this valuable resource by providing:

• The salary for our outstanding, full-time certified athletic trainer, Chris Clark
• All training and medical supplies for the training room and individual teams

STRENGTH & CONDITIONING PROGRAM

Acalanes Boosters Club funds strength & conditioning equipment available to all 27 Acalanes sports:

• Acquire customized strength & conditioning equipment tailored to each sport’s unique requirements
• Support programs to increase strength, speed, and flexibility while minimizing the risk of injury
• Increase workout resources available to student-athletes for a better athletic experience
• Reduce recovery time and prevent more serious injury

Acalanes athletics is on an upward trend and your Boosters membership will help that momentum continue.

Acalanes sports programs rely on funding from several sources to operate effectively including the athlete contribution, Acalanes Boosters, team fundraising, and for a few teams, their foundation. Boosters is an important source of each sport’s funding, often providing 20% – 50% of a sport’s annual operating budget. Without Boosters, the athlete contribution for every sport would be higher. To see what amount Boosters provides to your student athlete’s sports program, click here, or go to the Acalanes High School website, choose the “Athletics” menu and click on “Athletic Budgets and Participation”. Select a sport to see its annual operating budget.

Equally important, Boosters is the only Acalanes support organization that every year raises money, manages projects, and establishes programs that benefit the overall Acalanes athletics program. Some examples include funding a strength & conditioning program, certified athletic trainer, medical supplies, training room upgrades and equipment, and scoreboards throughout the athletic campus. Our approach of identifying important broad needs and delivering big benefits to the overall Acalanes athletics program, establishes a solid foundation upon which all twenty-seven sports programs can thrive.

Yes, Boosters funds all twenty-seven Acalanes sports programs regardless of whether a sport has a foundation or not. Acalanes sports programs require funding from multiple sources to operate including the athlete contribution, Acalanes Boosters, team fundraising, and for a few teams, their foundation. Boosters and foundations often work collaboratively contributing funds toward a share of the same program expense (ex. a large equipment purchase) or a team project (ex. field maintenance and improvements).

Parents benefit in several ways:

• Boosters often funds 2O% – 50% of a sport’s annual operating budget; without Boosters, the athlete contributions you pay every year would be hundreds of dollars higher. By supporting Boosters, you’re helping keep the cost of athlete contributions low.
• A Boosters membership card grants parents and under high school-age children free admission to all Acalanes regular season home sporting events where admission is charged. This saves you money and it saves you time … go straight in the gate and skip the wait at the ticket window.
• Since the Acalanes Boosters Club is a 501(c)3 non-profit, your membership earns you a tax-free donation every year.
• Each membership level includes free Acalanes fan gear to show your Dons Spirit!
• The knowledge that you’re one of 425+ families working together to create a positive athletic experience for your student athlete(s) and their teammates.

In addition to memberships, the Acalanes Boosters Club raises money for our sports programs through:

• Raffle– our annual raffle where every team is asked to sell raffle tickets with three $1,000 winners drawn at the Booster Bash
• Booster Bash– our annual fundraiser held each spring featuring food, beverages, silent and live auctions, pay-to-play parties, Fund-A-Need pledges, and the annual raffle drawing.
• Fund-A-Need– our annual campaign to fund a major improvement to benefit the overall Acalanes athletics program
• Boosters Athletic Clearance Medical Exams (BACME)– every July and August, Boosters provides a convenient, easy way to get your student athlete medically cleared to play their sport(s)
• Merchandise– show your Dons Spirit with plenty of Boosters fan gear available for purchase prior to home football and basketball games, as well as, online here (insert hyperlink to Dons Shop)
• Sponsorships– advertise your company on our scoreboards or with a corporate banner
• Donations– donations are accepted along with corporate matches; request your company match your Booster membership which is a tax-free donation

The Acalanes Boosters Club is overseen by a board (click here to see current Acalanes Boosters Board) that includes officers, committee chairs, team representatives, and school administrators and staff responsible for athletics. Team representatives are a key component of the board because they ensure every Acalanes sports program’s interests and needs are represented. During the current school year, team reps meet with their respective head coaches to determine the team’s needs for the following school year. A complete team operating budget is created, then reviewed by the Acalanes athletic director, with the reps and coaches submitting a portion of that annual operating budget to Boosters for funding. Each team funding request is reviewed by the Allocation Committee for appropriateness. All team requests are then presented to the entire board at the Allocation Meeting in May where team requests are evaluated and an amount of funding is tentatively approved. Final funding amounts are voted on and approved during the June board meeting with money available for spending starting July 1.

The Acalanes Boosters Club is overseen by a board that includes officers, committee chairs, team representatives, and school administrators and staff responsible for athletics. The board’s goal with Fund-A-Need is to identify big impact projects and programs that offer broad benefits to the overall Acalanes athletics program. The board meets monthly to conduct business during which possible Fund-A-Need ideas are suggested and discussed. Team representatives are asked to contact their respective head coaches for ideas and suggestions. The school administration is also conferred with. A list of possibilities is compiled over several months with the eventual Fund-A-Need focus selected by a vote of the board.

Yes, each spring the Acalanes Boosters Club recognizes our senior athletes who will be continuing their athletic careers, having been recruited to play their sport at a Division I, II or III school, at our Recruited College Athlete Day. Also, in the spring, Acalanes High School hosts Special Olympics Northern California’s Bay Area Games on campus. Boosters purchases, packages and provides 500-600 snack bags to the Special Olympics contestants and coaches each year.

We’re always looking for people who want to lend a hand creating a better athletics program for all of the Acalanes student athletes. Here are some ways you can get involved:

• Become an Acalanes Booster Team Representative or shadow your team’s current rep to assume their role when they cycle off the board
• Partner with your Booster Team Rep as your team’s Booster Bash Representative
• Volunteer at the annual Booster Bash, our largest fundraiser of the year
• Chair or join an Acalanes Boosters Committee or shadow the current chair to assume their role when they cycle off the board (Raffle, Membership, Booster Bash, Sponsorship, Merchandise, Athletic Clearance Exams)
• Become an officer

For more information please contact your team representative or a board member here.