By Kathy Chaffin
kchaffin@salisburypost.com
It started out as a challenge from one friend to another.
Garrett White of West Rowan High School issued the challenge to Wes Dumford of Mooresville High to see which student body could raise the most money for local charities in two weeks. That was the time between the challenge and last Friday’s North Piedmont Conference showdown between the two schools’ football teams.
West Rowan won the game 33-6 ó claiming the North Piedmont Conference championship for the fifth time in a row ó and the challenge score, which was announced at halftime, was 8,016-1,683.
That is, West raised $8,016 for Rowan Helping Ministries-West, while the Mooresville team raised $1,683 for its town’s soup kitchen.
“I had no idea that would happen,” White said. “If more people just pitched in and did stuff like that, I think our economy and the world as a whole would be a lot better.”
West Rowan’s total got a big boost from Steele Feed & Seed of Bear Poplar, which offered to donate the proceeds of its barbecue and bake sale at its 80th anniversary celebration on Nov. 1 if White and some of his friends would volunteer to help sell it. A total of $1,500 was raised.
West Rowan Middle School also helped out by raising $425 toward the challenge. Area churches also made donations.
White, a junior, said he hopes to make the challenge an annual event. “Even when I graduate, we’re going to carry on and just try to raise more money every year,” he said.
As for why the challenge was so successful, White said a picture is worth a thousand words or, in this case, $8,016. A story in the Nov. 1 Post about the challenge between the two high schools ran next to two photos of nearly bare shelves at Rowan Helping Ministries.
“I think that got me the most support,” he said.
White’s mother, Debbie, said he was thrilled “beyond words” at the amount collected. “When he first started the challenge,” she recalled his saying, ” ‘Well, if we could raise $1,000, that would be good.’ ”
Then when the total surpassed $1,000, Debbie White said her son said it would be great to raise $2,000. When they reached $2,000, “he was flabbergasted …”
Debbie White said Garrett and his friend, Wes Dumford, a junior at Mooresville High, were amazed that their friendly challenge had led to almost $10,000 being raised for food ministries. The two play baseball together on the American Legion Post 66 and Mooresville summer league teams.
West Rowan Helping Ministries is located at 781 Grampion Road, Mount Ulla.