Local high schools get $20,000 gift

In connection with the official unveiling of its Central Oregon chapter, the Oregon Sports Authority Foundation has donated $20,000 to high schools throughout the region. The money is intended to go toward covering athletic participation fees.

The donation was announced Tuesday during a luncheon to launch the local Oregon Sports Authority chapter at The Riverhouse Convention Center in Bend. The money will go to the Bend-La Pine, Redmond, Sisters, Culver, Crook County and Jefferson County school districts.

“It’s phenomenal,” said Madras High football coach Dan Hiatt, whose school charges a $50 participation fee per athlete, per sport. “Any money that goes to help the kids is awesome. The last thing we want to see is kids not participating because of the fee.”

The Oregon Sports Authority is a nonprofit organization that has helped bring to Oregon sporting events such as Women’s World Cup soccer, the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, and the AST DEW Tour.

“We wanted to put the most money where it could affect the greatest number of people,” said the OSA’s Alyssa McLaughlin. “With participation fees between $100 and $150, this helps over 130 kids.”

The OSA has helped Oregon high school athletes before, donating $100,000 to the Portland Scholastic League in December 2002.

“Any news like this is really exciting,” said Dave Hood, athletic director at Mountain View High School in Bend. “This will tremendously help kids and families. A lot of the fundraising our coaches do now is to raise money for kids to participate.”

 – From the Bend Bulletin, October 31, 2007