Huskie Booster Club Celebrates 50th Anniversary With $40K Donation To Imagine OPRF Project 1

Press release from Oak Park and River Forest High School:

Since 1970, Oak Park and River Forest High School and its students have benefitted from the generous support of the Huskie Booster Club. To celebrate its golden anniversary, the volunteer parent organization has announced its intent to fund two elements of Imagine OPRF Project 1, the high school’s most significant renovation project in 50 years.

The first element is a new Tradition of Excellence wall. “Currently, plaques that celebrate the achievements of OPRFHS alumni are scattered throughout the school and are not uniform,” said Fionna Bezaire, Booster Club president. “The new wall will collect the photos of all of those who have been recognized in one area, in a consistent design with room to grow.”

The second element is a video wall for the redesigned Welcome Center, which will allow students and guests to quickly view upcoming events and reminders when they enter the building. The total cost for both walls is approximately $40,000.

When the Booster Club began, its founders believed that the money they raised should support the 4 A’s: Academics, Activities, Arts, and Athletics. “Many booster clubs that are associated with high schools only fund athletic activities,” said Bezaire. “The Huskie Booster Club is unique in that, from its beginning, they had clear intentions for funds to be dispersed across various areas, to benefit all students.”

The club raises funds through memberships, events, and the sale of spirit wear. Some notable items the Boosters have purchased over the years include: musical instruments and VEX robotics materials; pottery wheels; new stage lights and sound systems for the theaters; football stadium lights; and a 3D printer, which was used during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic to produce masks for those in the front lines.

Mike Gibbs, Booster Club president from 2000-2010, says of his time with the organization that he has never known a more selfless group of people. “The Huskie Booster Club is a fine way to be involved at Oak Park and River Forest High School and have some fun while you do it,” he said. “Here’s to the next 50 years!”

In order to survive to reach subsequent anniversaries, though, the Boosters need help. They were once the largest parent organization supporting the school, but as more individual clubs and sports teams have begun to do their own fundraising, the Booster Club has seen a sharp decline in volunteers.

“Parents only have so much time and energy to devote to their community and when forced to choose, they will support groups that have great meaning to their children,” said Bezaire. “But the Boosters need volunteers in order to be able to celebrate another 50 years.”

To learn more about how to become a Huskie Booster Club volunteer, click here.

This press release was produced by Oak Park and River Forest High School. The views expressed here are the author’s own.