Parents form FAS
By Caitlyn Kelleher JOURNAL REPORTER

Two local parents have started an organization to help fund sports and other programs that have been cut in Oakmont already, and any possible cuts in the future.

They have formed the Future Sports and Activities Foundation.

"We want to give the kids the funding they need," said one of the founders, Michael Alario.

Westminster residents Alario and Stephen Belliveau have spent the last two months working to raise money to fund the freshmen basketball programs and the varsity golf program at Oakmont Regional High School, after the School Committee voted to eliminate those and other sports after an override failed in the two communities.

"We want to give the kids the funding they need," said Alario. "We want to help."

Alario is the father of a son who is a freshman at Oakmont, and a daughter who is seventh-grader at Overlook Middle School.

"This is my way of helping out," he said.

Belliveau also has a son who is a freshman at the high school.

"I don't see us being able to fund everything. It's not all going to happen this year. We're just here to help."

Alario and Belliveau joined forces at the end of August to raise money for the varsity golf team in just a couple of weeks, from the time the program was cut to the first match during the second weekend of September.

The team had a commitment to pay the School Committee the entire cost of the program (minus the $100 student participation fee) before that match in order to keep the program. As part of the committee the parents and the members of the team approached the Oakmont Booster Club to front the team the money, but the group raised enough to not have to borrow the money.

"We raised above and beyond what we had to," Alario said.

The golf tournament, which was held this summer, to raise money for the golf tournament was one of the first fundraiser organized by the group. They have also hosted a car wash, a bake sale and a dinner at the Carriage House.

"We're looking into all of (the options)," he said. "We're going to leave no stones unturned."

The group is currently selling $10 raffle tickets for a Monday, Nov. 19, drawing (ticket sales close on Sunday, Nov. 18) for $1,500 worth of oil or the equivalent cash value.

Alario said the problem with most fundraising is that it hits the same people all the time and there are only so many times a single business or person, especially the parents, can donate money.

"With such a small school district there are only so many sources we can tap. You can't keep going back to the parents," he said. "We can't keep asking the businesses in that area."

So far he said the group has rotating membership and base. He and Belliveau are working with different groups of parents to step up events.

"We set it up and we ask the kids to come and do the work," he said.

He said the goal is show the students this is what it takes to get them money for the activities to run. "We want to help the school district as whole," he said.

The goal of FAS is to set up an endowment fund for the program. The goal is to raise at least $400,000 so that the foundation - which will be setting up a board of directors, rules and regulations over the next few months - can run off the interest and investments while continuing to raise money.

He thinks if there are annual pledges to the endowment then the group won't continually have to ask for money, but can continue to help out the sports and the activities in the school district.

"Programs that are totally cut are the priority," he said. But he added that group would consider request from other clubs, activities and sports.

"It's the little things that makes the big things work," he said.