Once a simple fragment of the Campolindo Parents Club, which contributes funding to a variety of programs, the Athletic Boosters operated as a low-level provider to yearly projects involving old equipment and worn out facilities. But as parent involvement and interest in Campolindo Athletics has grown over the years, the Campolindo Athletic Boosters Club has evolved into a force of advocating for equity and access amongst the variety of sports programs offered at Campo. With changes to the weight room to provide equipment specifically for female athletes, as well as increased funding in developing sports like girls Softball and Flag Football, the club has helped define the next era of athletics at Campolindo as inclusivity and opportunity.
Athletic Director Ray Meadows testified his gratitude for the Athletic Boosters, who’ve participated in numerous ventures from aiding coaches with skill-based workshops to funding streaming efforts through the NFHS network. “They help get our athletes cleared for physicals as part of a fundraiser each year. They help facilitate projects for various sports teams by organizing field prep days. They helped fund and organize renovating the old storage shed up at the stadium into a team room for soccer and lacrosse teams. And they even started a [Sports] Broadcasting Club for students.”
This year, the Athletic Boosters have made it their mission to focus on promoting the health, safety, and wellness of student athletes. Meadows explained, “we will be deploying First Aid Stations in eight locations across the Campus stocked with emergency first aid supplies so that it’s readily accessible during games”. He added that new initiatives to support underrepresented athletes have also been introduced with the Female Strength and Conditioning Program. “We started [the program] last year because we noticed that our weight room was used primarily by our male student athletes outside of PE classes. So one of the things we wanted to do was allow for more opportunities by allowing our female students access as well as a strength coach to work specifically with the female students who attend.”
President of the Athletic Boosters Club, Bob Sofman, was one of the original founders of the organization back in 2020. And while their initial goals were altered due to the Covid-19 pandemic, since then the club has emerged as a powerful figure in fundraising in particular. “Over the past three to four years, we have grown significantly. We now have over 350 Athletic Boosters Members and raise well over $100,000. As importantly, we help engage the larger parent community in volunteer activities in support of our athletic program,” noted Sofman.
And the money has not gone to waste with giant changes made to help further the level of competition and credibility of the Campolindo Athletic program. Meadows explained major things that the Boosters have done for Campo, including: funding the score table in the gym used to operate the clock during basketball games, making aesthetic upgrades to the softball field, adding new water polo goals and equipment, adding the giant blow-up balloon arch used at athletic events like signing days, and much more. But despite the long list of changes, both Softman and Meadows emphasized the importance of the Athletic Boosters in unifying the athletic program to foster community.
One new tradition focused on community that the Boosters introduced last year was the annual Crab Feed Celebration for parents of Campo students and athletes. Sofman described the event as “a fun evening of great food, music and socializing. While our primary goal for the Crab Feed is to provide an opportunity for the larger community to come together, we also want to use this event to recognize some of the coaches, staff, and parents who have gone above and beyond in support of Campo athletics.” Meadows added that “the mission is not primarily to raise money but to build community amongst all of our different sports teams and coaches.”
From extensive fundraising to compete at the level that Campolindo has long achieved, to community building activities set across all sports teams, the Athletic Boosters Club has introduced a new age of programming to athletes and coaches. Thanks to a continued streak of contributions from parents, the future looks bright for Athletics in Moraga as Campo continues its legacy while creating new ones along the way.
