Dragon Pride magazine sits down with Carroll Athletic Booster Club President Bill Webb to learn more about how the organization helps Dragon athletes.
Carroll's lengthy history of athletic and extracurricular success dates back to the district's beginning in 1959. Nearly 60 years later, Southlake's tradition-rich program has raised more than 40 state championship trophies while ascending to the state's highest level of competition in Class 6A. Great achievement however comes at a great cost—not just on the field of play but also in simply getting our teams to the field of play. Each year tens of thousands of dollars are needed to supplement district athletic budgets for the transport and equipment of Southlake’s scholar athletes.
Southlake business owner and Dragon Dad, Bill Webb, currently serves as president of the Carroll Athletic Booster Club (CABC)—a nonprofit organization whose sole purpose is to help meet these unbudgeted athletic expenses of Dragon student athletes from grades 7 through 12.
There is a common misconception that... the Southlake community is so affluent our athletes (and students) have all the resources they need. That is simply not true. Our district, through collected tax dollars, does a great job of funding programs, inside and outside of the classroom. However, there are many priorities for funding. Our goal in CABC is quite simply to bridge that gap between the financial support our athletic programs receive from the district budget and what they really need to perform at the high levels we are known for. What we provide is by no means extravagant. On the contrary, we are helping cover very basic operating costs ranging from travel to equipment.
CABC funding supports... all CISD sports based on the specific requests of each head coach with consultation from the athletic director. The Booster Club has a history of trying to never say no. That continues to be our primary objective: Raise enough money to never say no. Bottom line, CABC supports – and always has from what I have seen – every sport that has needs. And every sport in CISD has needs.
CABC raises funds through... a variety of efforts, including membership, program and ad sales, sponsorship packages, sales of Dragon-branded merchandise through the Dragon Den, private donations and special fundraising events like last month’s wildly popular Ladies Night Out/Dragon Football Clinic.
We are fortunate to be... a one high school town. It allows us to all be Dragons and for our children to strive to be Big Dragons, whether it is in athletics, band, theater or in the classroom. So, at the end of the day, CABC is the vehicle to organize and execute whatever is needed to provide the support— moral and financial — our athletes need to compete, grow into productive and outstanding adults, and learn great life lessons along the way.
Our ultimate fundraising goal is... to never say no to any of the wish-list items of our coaches. By placing an item on our “Athletic Wish List,” Carroll head coaches across all sports can annually request funds from the CABC. That being said, this year we have committed to help raise funds for well over $120,000 worth of requests ranging from travel, uniforms and equipment to training for coaches and facility improvements.
Parents can get involved by... volunteering for one of our many activities or by serving in a leadership role. However, if volunteering is not in the cards right now, simply joining CABC with an individual or family membership can be done on our website for as little as $60. And if they really want to show their Dragon Pride, I suggest purchasing a raffle ticket for this fall’s tricked-out Dragon golf cart or picking up some logo apparel and merchandise at the Dragon Den!
For more information about the CABC and Carroll Athletics, visit the CABC website at GoCarrollDragons.com.