The Castlemont Football Program
Donation protected
Dear Castlemont Family, Friends, & Future Friends!
With pride and gratitude, we are reaching out to you for the first annual fundraiser benefitting the Castlemont High School Football Program. 100% of the funds will go directly to the team to fund meals, equipment, and educational programs.
For those unfamiliar with the Castlemont Knights, we are located in Deep East Oakland at 8601 MacArthur Blvd. Our athletes represent a proud but incredibly underserved community. Castlemont enrollment is 99% minority, and 89% of our students are considered "economically disadvantaged." Our program allows 44 young men and women in the community to escape the lure and temptations of crime and violence that is, unfortunately, all too common in East Oakland today.
We believe our young student-athletes should have access to the same resources and opportunities as their peers across the Bay Area. Unfortunately, not everyone gets an equal slice of the pie.
As mentioned previously, the money will be allocated to fund three primary goals:
- Meals/Food - Food insecurity in our community is a real issue and one that we deal with daily. Our goal is to always have our team fridge stocked with the bare minimum to make a sandwich before or after practice. These meals may be the only food some of our athletes have for the remainder of their day.
- Equipment - The equipment we have desperately needs an upgrade, but the lack of equipment is the issue in most cases. We aim to fund two high-ticket items: a new 3-5 man sled ($4k-$5k) and lockers for our team room ($200 each). We also have a shortage of helmets, so our JV and Varsity players are forced to share ($300-$400 per helmet). Our current jerseys are four years old and desperately in need of replacement ($100-$200). A camera to record our games ($500 iPad). Footballs ($65). Athletic tape and mouthguards ($40/game). The list goes on, but this is our primary focus.
- Education Programs - We are fortunate and grateful to be the first school to work with Dr. Ishman Anderson and his My Other Brother (MOB) program. MOB provides holistic wrap-around support services to African American and other underrepresented students through belonging and community by fostering student leadership, scholarship, postsecondary education, and personal growth. Through the efforts of MOB, the football program at Castlemont has a 100% graduation rate which is substantially higher than the general student body. In addition to the high graduation rate, all our student-athletes graduate with a plan. For some, that means a 4-year university; for others, it's a community college or a trade school. 10% of all money donated here will go directly to the MOB program.
We welcome any amount and are grateful for your support – whatever the size. Castlemont is a public non-profit school, making donations tax-deductible and potentially eligible for corporate matching.
I can't thank you enough for helping give our kids the season they deserve!
Organizer
Kyle Havens
Organizer
Oakland, CA