SEMINOLE, Fla. — A group of cross country runners from Seminole’s Osceola High School did something pretty amazing: They raised money for a competing cross country team at Largo High School.
At a cross county meet, a few moms from Osceola HS started a conversation with the parents and the coach at Largo High School. They learned the funds for Largo High School’s athletic booster club were mishandled. The booster club’s president, resigned in August after Pinellas County School District started an investigation into where the booster club money went.
Months later, with the Cross County state finals coming up, Largo’s cross-country team had hardly any money left in their account to pay for the remaining trips to cross country meets. Largo High School only had two options: Ask parents of the students to chip in money or Largo Coach Mary O’Donnell would pay for the remaining cross country meets out of her own pocket.
The Osceola moms, Brittany Davenport and Beth Evans told their kids, 10th-graders Amanda Evans, 16, and Trevor Davenport, 15, and the teens decided they had to help.
They had a fundraiser this month at two Village Inn restaurants in Seminole and Largo and raised $1,300 for Largo High School’s cross-country runners! The money was used to send members of the team to the Nov. 11 state cross-country meet in Tallahassee and to pay for an end of the year awards ceremony. Additional money will go towards Largo’s athletic booster club.
The teens tell us they are happy they were able to help because they consider all cross country runners part of a collective team.
“I hope this inspires others to find ways to help in their community, too,” explained Amanda Evans.
