There are a lot of services, such as a bus ride to a competition or new equipment, that students in extra- or co-curricular activities take for granted, but who actually pays for these things? Who is the man behind the money?

You may have heard of one such organization, the PTSA, but the Liberty Booster Club is another important, yet underappreciated, source of funding for many of Liberty’s programs.

While the PTSA supports predominantly academic endeavors, Booster Club focuses on providing aid in other areas, such as sports and clubs. They are a volunteer organization composed of parents, staff, alumni, and friends committed to enriching Liberty’s clubs, athletic programs, and co-curricular activities, which they do this in a variety of ways.

Any club, sport, or co-curricular activity at Liberty is eligible to request money from the Booster Club general fund, which is a great opportunity for the programs at our school. All you need to do is fill out a form found on the Booster Club website and attend a meeting to speak about how the funds would be used.

During the 2012-2013 school year, the Booster Club approved over $9,500 in general fund requests, spending $500 on HUDL Video Software, $2,000 on gymnasium chairs, $2,000 on buses for Drama, $743 womens golf uniforms, $2,300 on Senior Awards, and $2,000 on the Joe Ehrmann presentation for football.

This year they have already spent $7,600 on polo shirts for Robotics Club, transporting drama students to the Thespian Festival, and more.

Booster Club is also in charge of the concession stand, which provides another easy way for Liberty programs to fundraise. When volunteers representing a school activity work at the concession stand, the proceeds from their work are funneled to an account specifically for that program.

Another way they give back to the Liberty community is by sponsoring the Senior Awards: there are three awards that Liberty seniors can apply for, including the Ray Reeves Outstanding Patriots Citizen Award with a prize of $700.

Booster Club also supports the Liberty community by selling a wide variety of Liberty gear, from sweatshirts to phone cases, on their website, with the profits going to the general fund in order to help finance various programs at our school. Not only can students get cool spirit gear, but it benefits Liberty sports and clubs.

Despite the fact that few students know much about Booster Club, they do a lot of good for Liberty. There are a lot of important things, from uniforms to bus rides, that have only been made possible with their help, and they deserve some recognition for their efforts.

After all, Booster Club is made up entirely of volunteers who take time out of their day to do things for the benefit of our school and its programs. For this reason, I feel that all of the Booster Club volunteers deserve a big thank you.