Where’s the Clubhouse. . . .
Do You Remember. . . .
Fall 2009
Do you remember when we started all the Clubhouse discussion? 1982, to be exact, when Aroma Associates purchased the little house on East 34th, where the 4 car garage served as our clubhouse. What a great time we had there, hosting everyone from our brothers at Valley to the Japanese National Team to New Zealand’s Combined Services. I still have a bottle of “Cote du Nomad” in my wine rack, made by BamBam from the grape arbor. (Can you guess what I have been saving it for??)
Do you remember why we wanted a Clubhouse back then? For the same reasons we want one today- To promote and perpetuate the Sport and Spirit of Rugby Football in Tacoma. The game we all love so much teaches us life lessons, like commitment, consistency, dedication and teamwork; helping your mate stay out of trouble; doing the right thing when others kowtow; and giving your all for the game / for the cause, for the full clock.
Do you remember when we bought the Clubhouse property? I do May 11th 1999. Do you remember all the barriers to development we were up against? City Parking Ordinances. The property was too small. Wetlands and Buffers. Neighbors. Gulches. On August 11th 2009, when the City Council vacated the streets around us, and gifted the property to us, we cleared virtually every hurdle there has been between our dream and our reality. Except one. Now we need the money!
Do you remember promising, as you drank one of Steve Page’s beers he bought you, to help build the Clubhouse? Do you remember your enthusiasm and commitment to helping? I hope you do, because now is the time to remember! Now is the time to Step Up!
We are looking for people, Nomads, with talent, time, and determination to make this Club Goal a reality. We need 100 people to step up now and buy a Clubhouse Brick for $1,000. Your donation will be saved in our dedicated Clubhouse Fund, strictly for the purpose of building the Clubhouse. We need 25 Naddies to buy a Block for $10,000. Your name too, will be placed on the Wall of Honor in our lobby, thanking donors for your tax deductible gift to the Club and the future of Rugby in Tacoma.
We need somebody to really step up and gift the Club $100,000 for a Beam, serving as the catalyst to our grant writers’ matches for the foundations and organizations we will approach. We need talented, committed grant writers and researchers too. We need fund raisers to help us solicit contributions from the public, from raffles and solicitations. We need Can-Do, Will-Do people to step up and join our efforts to build our Clubhouse. We need your talents, your time, and your determination, serving on one of our committees:
Construction Committee:
Finalizing building design, “costing” development phase options, integrating “green” approaches, coordinating club labor efforts with Interwest Construction and Development, Inc.
Fund Raising Committee:
Generating capital funds for building construction through donation solicitations, grant writing, raffles, and other creative fund raising approaches like approaching local businesses for in-kind contributions.
Oversight Committee:
Oversee efforts to construct and operate a Clubhouse at Portland Ave., including legal, financial, reporting, compliance, future operations; assistance to other committees.
There are lots of little details that must be attended to, such as in August’s Clubhouse Update…. No! You can’t have a Piggy Bank Raffle like that! That would be Internet Gambling! ….. We need lots of sharp minds and hard workers to help us have a place to watch games from, when we are old and gray.
Hey! That’s Right Now!
Email me at: SBarneyR@Harbornet.com or call me Toll Free at 1-888-391-4232 during business hours.
Step Up!
Barney Rapp
Clubhouse Chairman
