NEW PARIS — The Driven Foundation will soon be coming to National Trail Local School District for the fourth annual Driven Outreach Day.
The day will begin with school visits with Ohio State University Buckeye Football alumni on Friday, March 22 from 9:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. The Charity Basketball Game will tip-off at 1:15 p.m. The day will end with the family Barbecue with the Buckeyes from 5:30-7 p.m. at the National Trail Cafetorium.
Tickets for the barbecue are already on sale for $20 for adult and $10 for student. T-shirts can also be purchased for $15. During the barbecue, there will be a silent auction with Buckeye memorabilia, free autographs, and more. Tickets can be purchased at staydriven.org or by contacting the following organizers: National Trail Superintendent Bob Fischer, United Way Director Alexa Joyce, National Trail Student Liaison Heather Ludy, or St. Paul’s Pastor Jeff Ginter.
The district is also actively searching for sponsorships. At press time, current sponsors included: Henny Penny, New Paris Chamber, Lifetouch, NT Foundation, Pepsi, Eaton Rotary Club, Wallace Heating and Air, Jostens, NT FFA Alumni, Waibel Energy, Parker Hannifin, Reid, and Preble County Youth for a total of $19,000.
Since 2016, the district has raised close to $62,000 through the Outreach Day. Henny Penny and New Paris Chamber of Commerce have functioned as co-sponsors for the past several years.
If interested in sponsoring or purchasing tickets, contact Superintendent Fischer at 937-437-3333 extension 1101.
The outreach day is a collaboration between the Driven Foundation, National Trail School District, United Way, and the National Trail area food banks (St. Paul’s Food Bank and Ware’s Chapel). Funds raised through ticket sales and sponsorships are split 50 percent between the Driven Foundation and the school district. From there, the school’s 50 percent is split between the School Success Program, the two area food banks, and the United Way. All of the 50 percent stays in Preble County to benefit residents.
According to Superintendent Fischer, the outreach day is an opportunity for the district to bring money into the community, while also inspiring students utilizing football players they look up to.
“For some of our students, these are professional athletes that they never would have an opportunity to intermingle with. The stories that these individuals come from and the things they can relate to some of our students, it could be a life altering experience,” he said. “Roy Hall is an outstanding speaker and he will get you from the beginning with the things that he will talk about and say.
“The message that we’re trying to send out is, ‘Leave your mark, not a scar.’ The piece behind that is very simple, we want to make sure every individual who impacts a student’s life leave a positive mark or positive impact. That is something that we truly are trying to instill and continue to instill. We are truly doing everything we can to make that lasting impact on our kids and this is just one more opportunity.”
