After hosting one of its major fundraising campaigns over Labor Day weekend, the Friends of Massey-Vanier Vikings (FMVV) have marked a successful first step in supporting the students athletes of Massey-Vanier High-school (MVHS).

FMVV has tallied its donations and it raised enough funds to cut the fall sports fees at MVHS in half. Students are required to contribute fees to join sports teams and help pay for expenses such as late buses which bring students home after practices and games.

“We’re not giving out a monetary figure as to how much we made but the way that we are looking at it. From Brome Fair weekend, we raised enough money to cut the athletic fees in half. The kids were supposed to pay $100 for soccer and cross-country running but they only had to pay $50, so that was a huge bonus,” said Bob Kay, President of FMVV. “We also had some money to pay off lawyers, which we had to do, we had notaries to pay off, and to get started on a website. The fact that all of that came through is fantastic.”

According to Kay, the numbers for this year’s soccer and cross-country tryouts at MVHS speak for themselves in terms of the positive impact of FMVV’s fundraising. 

“In the fall, because of this, I think partly because the word was out, more kids showed up to try out than they’ve had since before Covid for sure, maybe [even before],” Kay highlighted. “We’ve seen the impact, but unfortunately some people have to get cut because of that, because of your numbers and everything else.”

While FMVV is making a difference in the lives of local student athletes, Kay emphasized there is still more work to be done and that FMVV will continue fundraising until sports fees at MVHS are down to zero.

As a result, the FMVV will be hosting a 24-hour basketball-a-thon fundraiser in early November, which is around the time that basketball tryouts take place at the high-school. The goal with the basketball-a-thon is to get the student athletes involved and to play their part in FMVV’S fundraising initiatives with a full-day of basketball at MVHS. 

“So there could be kids coming to your door asking for money, that is to be expected, but that’s the next one. In the spring, we have something else planned; it’s called a ‘boot drive.’ It’s what the [firefighters] do on the corner, you stop and put money in a jar to support. That’s going to be at the Canadian Tire and IGA in Cowansville,” noted Kay. 

Due to the increase in transportation costs over the years, students at MVHS are currently required to pay a fee to join a sports team to help cover the costs for travelling around the region to play against other Eastern Townships School Board (ETSB) schools and for the late buses that bring players home after sports practices. Presenting a challenge for some families that want to get their children involved in organized sports, FMVV came together to help alleviate the costs associated with the sports programs at MVHS. 

“If two or three kids want to play basketball, all of a sudden it’s too much and they don’t play because they can’t afford. Which to me, in public school, is completely wrong. I think I mentioned that last time, but everybody should get the opportunity to participate,” said Kay. 

Kay mentioned that some MVHS alumni that stopped by the FMVV booth over Brome Fair weekend were “surprised” by the group's initiative. He added that the conversations that took place between organizers and former MVHS alumni were just as important as the success the group experienced with its fundraising. 

“Some of them were quite surprised that we were there doing that because they benefited for free. They were talking about how there were six late buses, they never paid a cent and all of this, to come down to what it is now,” explained Kay.“(….) [It was a big hit] seeing everybody, everybody talking about what a great initiative it was, how this was great for the kids, and that it’s too bad that we didn’t do something like this before.”

As FMVV gears up for its future fundraisers, Kay said that there are still a number of ways for people to donate to FMVV in the meantime. 

Those looking to donate can head on over to the Massey-Vanier Athletics Facebook page or they can send an email to kay.bob20@gmail.com

The group hopes to get is website up and running soon to provide tax receipts to those who donate. 

“We’ve been receiving something almost daily from people from afar, so it’s been excellent,” said Kay. 

Listen to the full interview with Kay below: