Like many high school sports teams in the Everett Public School District, the 4A Jackson High School Football Program in Mill Creek took a massive hit with COVID. Even now that we are post pandemic, we are working to fully recover our student athlete participation numbers, our Football Booster Club, and to replace our failing equipment.

 

One of our greatest needs last year and again this coming 2024 season has been shoulder pads so that every student athlete who tries out can play with the proper effective and safe gear. Last year the Mill Creek Chamber of Commerce stepped up through their annual Mill Creek Classic Charity Golf Tournament at the Mill Creek Country Club that raises money to benefit Mill Creek Area Youth. The Chamber of Commerce donated $3,000 to the JHS Football Booster Club. This year's event will be Monday, August 26th.  

 

Since one pair of brand-new pads costs $200 to $330, depending on what position you play, the Booster Club held onto those funds and looked into alternative ways we could supply our team with needed equipment. The solution came in the form of a winning bid on an online auction for a Lot of 69 shoulder pads being off-loaded by the Colorado State University Football Team. We secured those pads for our entire 4A football team!

 

The Varsity football players were ecstatic to have such high-quality equipment! They were quoted as saying,  "The pads are comfortable, they provide better arm movement range when reaching above our heads, and they are equipped with Velcro to hold our jerseys in place so our opponents can’t grab onto our jerseys. The new pads also have safety back plates which are an expensive added cost."

 

Varsity Football Head Coach Siddick was surprised with the donation celebration from the Mill Creek Chamber of Commerce President Greg Elwin, the Mill Creek Chamber of Commerce Director Jeff Ritter, the JHS Football Booster Club President Eric Casper, JHS Principal Lance Bella, and Vice Principal Michelle Renee.

 

This wouldn’t have happened without the donation from the Mill Creek Chamber of Commerce. Special recognition goes to CTE Logistics (a Sumner, WA-based logistics company), who arranged pickup and delivery of the shoulder pads. And none of this would be possible without Colorado State University off-loading their used equipment!