After winning the 2017 TAPPS Div. II State Championship, Trinity Christian-Cedar Hill received lots of attention from the community. Trinity Christian football coaches and parents used that attention to start a booster club and had widespread community support. Booster club secretary Andre Hart said that Trinity Christian needed a booster club to increase fundraising efforts for the football program.

“We started a booster club to help support and pay for items and resources the football program needs, being a part of a private school we do not receive an athletic budget,” Hart said. “All funds are donated or received through fundraising and a booster club is the best way to do that.”

The new booster club is growing fast and has big plans for their inaugural year, including events for the student-athletes and the community.

“We’re going to start a Meet the Tigers program where we’re going to bring all of our athletes across all of our teams out for our students and parents to meet and get excited about the upcoming seasons,” Hart said. “We also hope to host a talent show to display all the talents that our kids have as well as some movie nights and just taking our kids out to do things.”

In order to hold all of these events, Coach Hart has enlisted the help of many parent volunteers which he says are vital to the booster club’s success.

“Their support is everything. Otherwise, I don’t think we would be able to run the booster club,” Hart said. “We’re a private school so most of the parents that are supporting us have been doing so since day one.”

Hart is excited to see so many men getting involved within the club, because of the role model aspect that they play for the student-athletes in the football program.

“It’s exciting that we have so many men in our booster club because they are great role models for our kids,” Hart said. “It’s really important that our kids see the men supporting their kids and stepping up and leading, not just pushing them on the field to be the next Deion Sanders or anything like that.”

Though the season has yet to begin, the impact of the booster club has already been felt from the club’s preseason fundraising efforts. The club has set up fundraising events through Hudl and Walmart to help pay for the events and resources needed for football season. The efforts have proved successful as the club has already raised $6,000 of their season goal of $15,000.

The booster club is already doing a lot to help out the Trinity Christian football team and Hart hopes that the athletes enjoy the benefits but also realize the importance of doing their part to help support their community.

“The first part is that we just want our boys to have the resources they need to be successful,” Hart said. “But, at the same time I hope humility will come with that and learning that everyone needs to help everyone else within the community. I hope they’re humbled by all of the support.”