Girls' basketball to run a bracelet fundraiser

The girls' basketball team is selling bracelets to Blair students and staff to raise money for the Lady Blazers. The bracelets will be sold at basketball games and other sporting events, during both lunches and after school. The team received their first shipment of bracelets on Jan. 19 and plan to start selling immediately.

According to junior guard Adrienne Jackson, the money raised will go toward team clothing, team events and off-season leagues and tournaments. Jackson said the team needs money after suffering from budget cuts that affected the entire Athletic Department.

According to girls' basketball Head Coach Erin Conley, the fundraising idea began in November when the team wanted to sell a product that students would be excited to buy. The girls decided to sell bracelets that are similar to the Breast Cancer Awareness "I Love Boobies" fundraiser.

The one inch bracelets, from wrist-band.com, read "Are You Ready? Blazers" and are suitable for Blazers, family and staff members. "The bracelets are great for all ages and not only to support Blair, but are also fashionable," Conley said.

Other teams also have fundraisers such as selling t-shirts, sunglasses and bags, but the girl's basketball team is the first to sell bracelets and hopes that the accessories will become popular throughout Blair. "We are hoping the bracelets will catch on and all students at Blair will want to purchase one and wear one," Conley said.

The girls are prepared to start selling the bracelets and are enthusiastic about raising support for the team. "We haven't started selling them yet but the girls are excited to start the advertising campaign," Conley said. The bracelets are being sold at games or from any of the Lady Blazers for $3 and are recommended for people of all ages.

According to Conley, the team has had similar money raising activities in the past such as selling pizza and working at concession stands.

For more information on budget cuts to Blair's Athletic Department, click here.
For a feature on how other sports teams are dealing with budget cuts, click here.