‘Tis the season to raise money for baseball: The baseball team tree lot is a success
Every sports team knows the difficulty of raising money to support their team throughout the year. The baseball team has taken a very unique approach to their fundraising in the form of a Christmas tree lot that is hosted by the team annually.
Shortstop Shay Whitcomb, senior, has worked the tree lot since his sophomore year at Newbury Park High School. “Every year the baseball team hosts this fundraiser,” said shortstop Shay Whitcomb, senior. “It takes place over by the Alamo Parking lot. Anyone can come and buy the trees and support the baseball team.”
The tree lot has a wide variety of trees and raises approximately $30,000 and covers a large portion of the team’s expenses. “…we get three shipments of 500 trees ranging from 4-feet all the way to 14-feet. The money goes towards jerseys, getting our outfield redone, getting new screens, and new baseballs things of that sort,” Whitcomb said.
According to Wendy Kennedy, NPHS Baseball Boosters Vice President, buying from the baseball tree lot is more than just a buying a christmas tree. “Customers love the overall experience they get from our tree sales boys and they love that we deliver for a small fee,” said Kennedy, “The delivery boys even take the time to make sure the trees they deliver are set up perfectly.”
Rick Sagerman, JV Assistant Coach and campus supervisor, explains that the tree lot is also an experience for the boys to bond. “It builds up camaraderie in the program because it’s not just the varsity,” Sagerman said. “It’s the freshman and JV too and they all work together. It is definitely a team oriented function for us.”
