By Kathy Chaffin
kchaffin@salisburypost.com
Students at West Rowan High School are raising money for Rowan Helping Ministries-West as part of a friendly competition with Mooresville High School.
Garrett White, a junior at West, issued the challenge a couple of weeks ago through Wes Dumford, a junior at Mooresville High. They were teammates on the American Legion Post 66 and Mooresville summer league baseball teams.
The challenge is to see which student body can raise the most money for its favorite charity by halftime of the football showdown between the two high schools on Friday, Nov. 7.
Mooresville High students are raising money for the town’s soup kitchen.
White said he came up with the idea for the challenge after reading in the Back Creek Presbyterian Church newsletter that Rowan Helping Ministries-West ó located at 781 Grampion Road, Mount Ulla ó was in need of food donations.
West Rowan has raised about $1,200 so far for the food ministry. “I’ve gotten donations from mostly businesses and local people,” he said, “but more people are starting to get involved, and it’s starting to escalate and snowball.”
The high school’s powder puff football team has raised money for Rowan Helping Ministries-West, White said, and the Junior Civitan Club is also getting involved.
A challenge has also been issued within the high school to see which homeroom can raise the most money, he said. The winner will be treated to a doughnut party.
White, son of Debbie and Dale White, said he’s feeling pretty good about West’s chance of winning the challenge, but added, “We’ll see how that goes.
They’ve got a lot of people they can talk to like race car drivers.”
In the end though, he said everybody’s a winner. “It just makes you feel good if you can help out somebody in need.”
Donations will be solicited from now until the Nov. 7 game at West Rowan High School and in each team’s grandstand during the first half of the football game. The fundraiser results will be announced at halftime.
The game will determine the winner of this year’s North Piedmont Conference. If West wins, it’ll be the champion. If Mooresville wins, the two high schools will tie for the championship.
Anyone who wants to help West win the challenge against Mooresville High School can mail a check written to Rowan Helping Ministries-West to West Rowan High School, c/o Garrett White, 8050 N.C. Highway 801, Mt. Ulla, N.C. 28125.