The Millis Mohawk Pride Committee might have started to support the boys’ basketball program at Millis High School, but the effort, begun by Coach Paul Adams and accelerated by involved parents, has grown to support both girls’ and boys’ programs.
“Times are changing, and we really need to subsidize some of the things kids have to pay for with fundraising,” says Coach Paul Adams, who headed up the Millis girls’ basketball program from 1996 to 2007, took a break to coach his own kids, and who was named boys varsity head coach in 2013.
“I knew if I was a coach again, I’d get together a fundraising committee,” says Adams, who says he sought out parent volunteers he knew were “good at that type of thing.”
The goals for the committee, says Adams, were “not just to subsidize fundraising for the stuff players had to pay for, but to make our basketball program better.”
And make it better the Mohawk Pride Committee has.
This year, it has:
• donated $1,000 to help to purchase a new scorer’s table
• started the first ever boys’ annual basketball scholarship in Millis, awarding $1,000 to a senior who “was part of it from travel days to high school.”
• hosted an annual boys basketball camp in June for boys entering 2nd through 9th grade for the second year in a row. The program saw 84 players this year.
• split the cost (a share of $3,500) with the youth basketball program for all new glass backboards at the Clyde Brown Elementary School, where the MHS freshman team practices.
• Paid for every boys’ basketball player to attend a year-end awards banquet at Primavera Ristorante.
• Helped pay a stipend for nonpaid assistant coaches.
• Supported 45 kids playing in the summer league.
“I knew the people I had with me were go-getters,” says Adams, who is thrilled at the growth of the fundraising program. He credits parents like Pam Mustard, Lisa Olmsted and Janice Alger, whom he first approached with the idea. People like Julia Clarke, and more, he says, have stepped forward to keep the momentum going.
“Every one of them is self motivated. They believe in what they’re doing for the program, which in turn gives back to the community.”
Fundraisers, he says, offer something to the community.
“Basically, we didn’t want to do your typical fundraiser where kids have to go sell stuff,” says Adams. Some of the successful fundraisers have included the 3:3 basketball program, now an annual event that will celebrate its third year in April of 2017. The competition sees children from younger grades to older and adult, all organized by the Mohawk Pride Committee. The first year saw 52 teams participate, which grew to 56, including 15 alumni teams, the second year.
“We raised some money for the program and had a great day of basketball (for the town),” says Adams, who says local companies even got involved to sponsor the event with donated food.
Another fundraiser, a comedy night, raised money for the program. A second comedy fundraiser will take place in February 2017.
Adams says Mohawk Pride also works to get players involved in the community. Players, he says, have helped the Lions Club with their annual Super bowl morning breakfast, and 90% of the team coach basketball in the community in either the recreation or travel teams.
“It’s a super important (goal for players), to believe in their community and to give back to their community,” says Adams.
You can learn more about the Millis Mohawk Pride Committee on Facebook.
Issue Date:
January, 2017
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