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NEWBURGH - The NFA Varsity Crew Team is closer to having a season, thanks to corporate donors and individuals throughout the Community, according to Head Coach Ed Kennedy.

“We are delighted to have received some major corporate donations this past week,” said Coach Kennedy. “We received a grant of $1,000 from Global Partners, which runs the oil tanks right near our boathouse. We received over $1,000 in product donations from Kiss My Face, LLC, and we received $500 from a local union. We had the Dennis Family donate Yankees-Red Sox tickets that we raffled off, and made $1,500 from the raffle.”

The 72-member NFA Varsity Crew Team was eliminated during budget cuts last spring, but was reinstated for the 2012-2013 season by the Newburgh School Board on the condition that it fund itself.

“I’m pretty sure most people thought we couldn’t do it, but these parents and athletes are working so incredibly hard to make sure we have a season,” said Kennedy. We actually keep community service records for the hours the kids put in - we’re talking thousands of hours of fundraising since we were re-instated June 26th.”
“We used the organic Kiss My Face product donations, sunscreen and toothpaste, to give out to children at the Newburgh Waterfront over the Labor Day weekend,” added Juliana LoBiondo, Team Mom for the Crew Team.

The City of Newburgh granted permission for the Team to put on a Learn to Row demonstration over the weekend at the waterfront, as well as sell raffle tickets and do coin drops. “We would like to thank the City of Newburgh for letting us do the Learn to Row event. The restaurants were also very good to us,” said Team Mom  LoBiondo. “The River Grill and Billy Joe’s Ribworks allowed us to sell raffle tickets outside their restaurants. It made a big impact.”

After this Labor Day weekend, the team has raised over $25,000. Donations are tax-deductible and the major donors will be receiving team plaques, according to Team Mom LoBiondo.

“There will be lots of opportunities for sponsorship coming up,” she said. “The next major event will be Oktoberfest, on October 11, 2012, starting at 6 p.m., at Pamela’s on the Hudson. We will have German food available, German music by Lenny Feldman, and a silent auction. We will also be selling ad space in the Event Journal.”

Coach Kennedy says the Crew Team is selling raffle tickets for a “Mega-Raffle.” “We would like to thank Best Buy for giving us such special prices on its merchandise.  As a result, we are raffling off a 51” Samsung Plasma TV (1st prize) and an Apple Ipad (2nd prize).” The drawing will be held on December 15th.
“I’m not upset that we have to fund ourselves”, said the coach, “and I tell the kids not to be either. They are learning a valuable life lesson: nothing good in life comes easy.”

For more information on Oktoberfest, the Mega-Raffle, or Friends of Newburgh Crew, Inc., contact Team Mom Juliana LoBiondo, at (845) 569-7600 or Juliana@lobiondolaw.com. One can also find the Crew Team on Facebook at “Newburgh Rowing”.