“How we took on the stadium project,” he continues, “was by looking at the high school and saying, ‘What is the biggest need at the high school and what will affect the most students?’”

“The foundation is not just about athletics,” Mike explains, “it’s about helping every kid.” He emphasizes the consistent, widespread use of the facility. “During the school year, some kids are out there at 7 a.m. with workouts in the morning for sports, and then it’s used until 8 o’clock at night. This is four or five days a week. It’s used all day long by PE classes. Community members will go out there on the track. On the weekends, people will go and play soccer. It’s used all the time. It’s huge facility use, and it’s in really bad shape. The idea was to raise money toward that goal and to get that renovated.”

Despite the need, and the obvious disrepair, raising the required funds will be no small task. The price tag for such a project is expected to be in the neighborhood of $6 million. “That means new bleachers, all-weather field, a nine-lane all-weather track, new concession facilities, a new entry way, new landscaping,” according to Mike. “Drainage alone is about $600,000 for our site. It’s a lot of money. And somehow we’ve got to figure out how to raise it.”