We’ve come a long way baby!!!
Are you ready to step up?
Summer 2009
Being the 40th anniversaries of a couple of major milestones in my life - Man’s First Walk on the Moon and Woodstock, it seems befitting our Rugby Clubhouse is taking a Giant Step for Rugby in Tacoma, and we are truly Rockin’ and Rollin’with our final plans for its development.
Hats off to Ben Anstey, who has endeavored to persevere through the gauntlet of technicalities and trivial concerns of building our Clubhouse at Portland Ave Playfields. His endurance and professional talents have brought us to this next celebration - the approval of our Preliminary Site Plan by the City Fathers.
We just received official word from the City of Tacoma our request for vacating the city streets around our property were approved by the City Council on August 11th. Metro Parks is now drafting our Parking/Easement Agreement, allowing the Tacoma Rugby Club use of their half of the vacated ‘R’ Street (‘R’ Stands for RUGBY!) plus an additional 15’ in order to meet the parking requirements for the project.
With this agreement in hand, we will request and anticipate the Planning and Land Use Department’s approval of our Preliminary Site Plan; our final hurdle before the big one - Coming up with the Money! And now is the time for all good Nomads to step up and help! We need volunteers with time and talent to pull the fund raising efforts together.
We, the Committee of One, have a number of ideas for raising funds, some of which have already borne fruit. My dear departed Nomad friend John Scanlin was the first to “buy a brick” for $1,000 in our solicitation of donations for the building fund. Jeff Page was on his heels in support. I am pledging to “buy a block” for $10,000 and hope to see others behind me. We will also be approaching businesses and foundations in search of “Pillars of Support” with $100,000 toward our cause. These donations are all tax deductible under our 501(c)-3 status with the IRS, with all funds restricted in use.
The Club is looking for others to step up with money, and time and talent to generate other efforts for financing. I am offering a 5 gallon bottle full of money to be used in an Internet Raffle- for $10 you can guess how much money is in the bottle (not counting buttons, tokens, and foreign coins) and win it! If every Rugby Club in America bought 1 ticket, we’d raise $16,000. If they each bought 10, we’d raise $160,000! Where is George Bender? We need him! We need all of you. If just each Nomad in History bought one for 10 bucks, we’d generate $9,120. Let’s add that on top of the rest, and we would raise $185,120.
And I want to Raffle off a Sports Car at the Puyallup Casino! Where are you Bobby Meyers and Spoons Hardeman? You know the manager there, don’t you? Get in contact with me and show you know how to be a Real Nomad. Step up and help build our Clubhouse! SBarneyR@Harbornet.com
Who knows about “going green”? We want to build a sustainable, economical, and bomb-proof facility that will benefit the Club and the Community for years to come. Please step up. Buy a Brick. You can pay by credit card, and over time. Get your name on our Wall of Glory!
