STEPHENVILLE ? After a successful 2007-08 Texan Club campaign, Tarleton athletics director Lonn Reisman, the athletics staff and the Texan Club Advisory Board are gearing up for the new fundraising campaign set to start this week.
“We have one of the top five booster clubs in Division II, in fact, our booster club is better than a lot of Division I schools,” Reisman said. “However, the success of the club depends on raising the money every year.”
The Texan Club has previously been recognized as a successful organization in the National Association of College Directors of Athletics publication for its fundraising efforts and success.
“People around the country recognize we have a successful athletics program and booster club,” Reisman said. “When you walk into Wisdom Gym, it is apparent there is lots of support for our teams when you see all of the banners on the wall.”
Of course, the point of the sponsorships is for more than hanging signs on the wall.
“We raise a lot of money,” Reisman said. “We raise enough to fulfill 10 full scholarships, and the rest of the money goes for student-athlete enhancement through study hall tutors and monitors as well as supporting the programs. We definitely would not be as successful if we didn't have the support of the Texan Club sponsors and members.”
The Texan Club has been around since the early 1990s, and Reisman said each year the organization keeps getting bigger, but so does the cost of the success.
“It has taken 15 years to get the sports programs to a national presence in Division II, but we want to be pushing for a national championship in every sport,” Reisman said. “Grand Valley State is at that point in the nation, and everyone knows they are successful. We want to become the Grand Valley State of the south.
“We are at a pivotal status in our program, and most of the sports are knocking on the door of a national championship,” Reisman said. “But things are getting more expensive, and we need the best year of the Texan Club we have had thus far.”
Reisman and the advisory board would like to thank those who have been a part of the Texan Club in the past, and hope everyone will continue to renew for the 2008-09 seasons.
“This is the fundraising kickoff for the new year, and we hope it will be bigger and better than ever,” Reisman said. “We invite anyone who is interested in joining the Texan Club this year to do so and help make the 2008-09 the best ever.”
If someone is interested in joining the Texan Club, go the Texan Club web page and download the forms. For more information, call 254-968-9178.
