SWAMPSCOTT & MARBLEHEAD — The Swampscott-Marblehead Wrestling Team has begun their calendar fundraiser sale. Each member hopes to sell 12 copies of the calendar at a price of $20 each. More sales mean more games for the players, said the parents.
Anyone who purchases a calendar will be entered into a lottery pot. One name will be drawn each day in January. For example, on Jan. 31, participants could win a $50 gift card to the Whole Foods in Swampscott. Michigan said they are still brainstorming how to announce the winner. For now, they have decided to record a player blindly drawing a name and post the video to their Facebook page.
Parents and players turned to local businesses in Swampscott, Lynn, Danvers, Nahant, Salem, Lynnfield, Peabody and Marblehead to solicit donations. Among the many businesses to donate, Durum in Lynn donated three $50 gift cards, Eric’s Barber Shop in Marblehead donated two $35 gift cards and The Landing in Marblehead donated two $50 gift cards.
Alison Michigan, a parent of a team member, said, “Most businesses are more than happy to support the sports teams. They were very generous in their donations.”
The team expects to sell 400 to 500 copies, which will bring in $8,000 to $10,000 in proceeds.
“You can see this beautiful mat here. It is brand new and some of the fundraising efforts were used to purchase that mat,” Michigan said, pointing to the giant mat — which costs thousands of dollars — used for wrestling.
“But another great point about having this mat and another one is that it allows us to have more tournaments here,” said Julie O’Brien, who is a parent of a player and also a member of the booster club that supports the team.
“Last year we were able to host the NEC/CAL tournament and hopefully, fingers crossed, we will be able to host it again this year because we have this mat,” said O’Brien. Coach Michael Stamison will decide how best to spend the proceeds. To participate, visit the Swampscott-Marblehead Wrestling Team’s Facebook page.
