ROCKINGHAM — With its new season underway, the Richmond Senior High School softball program is asking for support from its fans off the diamond.
Like several of the school’s athletic programs this academic year, the Lady Raiders have kicked off a Snap! Raise campaign to help offset costs during the pandemic-impacted season.
The fundraiser began this week and will run until mid April. At the time of publication, the team had already raised $3,215 from 49 different supporters. The current goal is set at $3,500 and can increase if that total is reached.
Richmond’s athletic department has had a lot of success with using the crowdsourcing platform to raise money this year. Combined, the football, baseball, volleyball and boys’ soccer programs have collected $53,116 in donations.
That is the total before Snap! Raise takes its 20% cut and any prizes that have been bought for the student-athletes. The Raider football team, for example, brought home $17,655.80 to be used between itself and the general athletics fund.
Richmond’s softball program, with the help of former educator Jean Way, had two new structures built within the last year.
Using $45K obtained through a Cole Foundation grant, a matching amount from the Richmond County Board of Education, and another $25K through other donations, a new locker room and indoor hitting facility were built near the Lady Raiders’ stadium.
The locker room allows for the team to prepare for games closer to the field, and features a laundry room. For rainy days and colder offseason workouts, the hitting facility will provide the team a place to conduct practices.
Second-year head softball coach Mike Way said the Snap! Raise money will be primarily used to help complete the inside of the hitting facility.
The Lady Raiders are still in need of batting cages, hitting screens, bullpen materials, turf flooring and other day-to-day essentials like softballs and tees.
“We want to thank everyone for the support so far,” Mike Way said. “It is a tremendous help to our program and crucial to our success.”
To view the Richmond Senior High School softball team’s Snap! Raise page, click here.
