The Booster Club distributed $14,750 in funds to support various sports and clubs at West Chicago Community High School at the start of the 2025-26 school year.

Similar to the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA), the Booster Club raises money to benefit extracurriculars beyond the school’s regular budget. At WCCHS, separate organizations exist for music, theater, and athletics/clubs; the Booster Club featured here manages athletics and clubs.

The group’s fundraising comes not only from donations but also from selling spirit wear, operating concessions at sporting events, and hosting annual community events such as the spaghetti dinner. These efforts allow the club to return money directly to students and staff through mini-grants.

“The whole goal is that the money that we do make is redistributed to the students and staff at the school,” Booster Club Treasurer Katie Hart said.

This year’s awards went to a wide range of activities. Girls’ flag football received $2,500 for equipment, softball received $3,600, and Snowball received $1,800. Smaller grants supported programs such as the A/V Club ($1,900), boys’ basketball ($1,000), track ($900), National Honor Society ($500), robotics ($500), WEGO Global ($500), and the Wildcat Chronicle ($300). ROAR, a community-building tradition at WCCHS, received $250 to purchase materials for team-building activities.

“So we want everybody to feel welcome and part of a group as soon as they enter a ROAR, so each of the 10 little families will have their own identity,” ROAR advisor Krysta Schoenbeck said.

Not every club’s funding story was straightforward. Over the summer, the Black Student Leadership Association (BSLA) disbanded after its sponsor left, leaving behind $1,000 in unused funds. The Booster Club was not initially aware of the change.

“We’ll have to follow up on where those funds ended up so we can redistribute them,” Hart said.

Incorporated as a nonprofit in 1978, the Wildcat Booster Club has a long tradition of supporting WCCHS activities, clubs, and sports. Today, it continues to promote school spirit and community while directly benefiting students. Hart emphasized that the Club is always looking for more involvement: parents, staff, and even students are encouraged to volunteer, whether through working concessions, joining the board, or simply lending a hand at events.

Disclosure: The Wildcat Chronicle, which produced this article, was among the Booster Club grant recipients, receiving $300.