Broke – Redskins Ask Town For Money
Published 12:00 am Friday, August 26, 2011
By Jackie Seabolt
Enterprise Record
COOLEEMEE – Commissioners conditionally approved a $6,000 donation to the local booster club at this month’s meeting to keep the Cooleemee Redskins football team playing for another year.
But another meeting is being held tonight (Thursday) to further discuss the proposal in greater depth.
During the public comments portion of the meeting on Aug. 15, Alicia Johnson, who is the Redskins’ booster club president, asked the board to consider giving money from the ABC board distribution to support the team.
Johnson said she began helping with the booster club last year and said the club was $10,000 in the hole. “We owed everybody.”
Johnson said an investigation is being conducted to determine if the club is missing funds that can be recovered, but in the meantime the football team is in desperate need of equipment like helmets and pads.
“None of our equipment is up to code,” Johnson told the commissioners. “If we don’t raise this money we won’t have a Cooleemee Redskins football team.”
Johnson said that she had sent letters and received some donations, but the club was nowhere near being able to outfit the players with the proper equipment. “I know it’s a hard time and I hope you guys will look at this ABC money …