Student Council collects for Albany Chest
The annual Albany Chest campaign is underway, and fundraising letters were mailed in October to past contributors.
In addition, members of the Albany Student Council donned Halloween costumes and went door-to-door asking for donations for the Community Chest on Tuesday, in hopes of raising $1,000 toward the Chest 2018 goal of $42,000.
Twenty-six different organizations, including two new applicants, submitted requests for this year’s funding, all of which were considered by the board.
In each issue during the next few weeks, a brief look will be taken at two or three of the benefitting organizations in order to give prospective donors an idea of their activities.
Albany Girls Softball
The Albany Girls Softball Association has requested $2,000 in funding from the Community Chest this year.
The amount of funding requested from the Chest would cover 40 percent of the organization’s operating expenses.
“This money will be used for equipment, insurance, and other things related to softball, including scholarships for players not able to afford the tuition to join our teams,” said association secretary Kelli Hobbs. “At the end of the year, the money left in the account will be allocated to senior girls that have participated during the school year in the form of a scholarship.”
Most of the girls who participate pay a fee to cover the costs of uniforms and insurance.
“We will use the money from the Chest to cover the registration fees of young girls willing and wanting to play softball, who aren’t able to pay the fees,” said president Flor Leverton. “It will also be used to cover equipment used by all of our teams.”
The non-profit was established in 1984 to help support girls ages five to 15 who are interested in softball.
Cause for Paws
Albany’s Cause for Paws has requested $1,000 from the Chest again this year.
“We help pay for spaying and neutering of dogs and cats for families that might not otherwise be able to get that taken care of,” said board member Lacey Anderson. “Our mission is to reduce the number of strays, prevent unneccessary euthanasias, and help animals live happy and healthy lives.”
The registered non-profit began in 2008.
“We rely fully on donations from the community and the Community Chest,” Anderson said.
Bike Repair Project
Edgar Blackwell works with Neighbors in Need and Closet Angels in his efforts to keep Albany children provided with working bikes, giving away hundreds since he moved here.
“The bicycle repair project started with the community donating used bicycles,” said Closet Angels director Lori Reames. “The money funded is used to buy tubes and parts (for the donated bikes). Edgar fixes them at no charge, and then gives them back to the community.”
Reames added that a lot of families have been blessed by this project.
“I gave away 58 bikes one year,” Blackwell said. “People donate old bikes and I repair them if possible, and if not, I salvage parts off of them to repair other bikes.”
The retired gentleman supplied all of the parts out of his own pocket for years, but additional funding allows him to repair more bikes, helping more children.
Funding from the Chest for the Bike Repair Project has been requested once before, in 2016, when $250 was awarded. No amount was specified in this year’s request.
Boy Scout Troop 255
The Albany Boy Scout Troop has requested $1,500 in funding from the Albany Chest.
The money would be used for both general operations and for a specific project.
“Our general operations pay for utilities, cleaning supplies, awards, camping supplies, adult leaders’ registration, training, and literature,” said representative Teri Lucas. “We also help pay for a boy to be in Scouting, and will help with his Scout shirt, patches for the shirt, and a Scout Handbook.”
The specific project the Scouts have in mind is the purchase of tables, a microwave, and a small refrigerator for the new Scout Hut.
“We will be sharing this expense with the Cub Scout Pack,” added Lucas.
The Albany Boy Scout Troop is registered as a non-profit organization, and the requested funding is expected to cover 100 percent of the group’s annual operating costs.
Donation Details
The Albany Chest board traditionally waits to see how the money comes in before setting the final allocations.
The fundraising drive will end on Dec. 31 and board members hope to distribute checks to the organizations soon after the first of the year.
Contributions to the Chest can be given to Paige Adair at First National Bank or Keri Hebel at First Financial Bank, or they can be mailed to Albany Chest, PO Box 2019, Albany TX 76430.
