The Darlington Athletic Booster Club’s second annual Raffle & Steak Dinner in August was a huge success, raising more than $29,000 for athletic programs and $5,000 for faculty development.
Last night, the parent organization presented the first installment of their $50,000 Second Century Campaign commitment to Headmaster Tom Whitworth, Associate Headmaster James Milford and Academic Dean David Powell.
“The children of our Booster Club members are student-athletes, so in addition to raising funds for our athletic programs we feel it is very important to support the people who are helping our children succeed as students,” said President Lou Dempsey (’87). “We’ve got an incredible faculty at Darlington and we are proud that the reverse raffle has provided us with such a wonderful opportunity to give back to them. We were also able to make a donation to the school’s fine arts program, so everyone at Darlington is benefiting from our success.”
The Athletic Booster Club has committed to giving an additional $5,000 per year to faculty endowment for the next nine years.
“We know that recruiting and retaining top-notch teachers and coaches is critical to Darlington’s success, both now and for generations to come, so we want to do our part to ensure that it continues to be possible,” said Fundraising Co-Chairman Mike Lawrence.
Delegates are Anne Paige Wilson (baseball), Kevin Evans and Forrest Collins (basketball), Dina Vick (cheerleading), Ann Wilhoite (competition cheerleading), Diane Lewis (crew), Jim Hudson and Larry Cagle (cross country), Mike Lawrence (football), Brian Albertson (golf), Rich Flournoy and Barrett Gilbert (lacrosse), Gina McWhorter (soccer), Pam Swafford (softball), Beverly Thurmond (swimming and diving), Liz and Charlie Williams ('82) and Cristy Freyberg (tennis), Phil and Patti Baker (track), Dan Simon (volleyball), and Scott and Lisa Jones (wrestling).
“On behalf of the faculty at Darlington, I’d like to thank the Athletic Booster Club for their generous contribution to the Faculty Endowment Fund,” Whitworth said. “It always makes me so proud to see current parents step up in support of our faculty. That tells me that their children are having a positive experience here because of the people who are impacting their lives every day. This is what the Second Century Campaign is all about – transforming lives.”
