Cadedrie “Dee” Patterson was the Eupora Rotary Club’s guest speaker on May 21. She has worked in the Webster County School District for five years, three of those years at East Webster Elementary and two at Eupora High School. This past year Patterson assisted head coach Cody Ramer and assistant coach Javores McKinney with Eupora’s girls basketball team. She was also the bookkeeper for the girls and boys basketball teams. Patterson said Ramer, McKinney and boys basketball coach Austin Burl take out a great amount of time and dedication to the sport and the students who participate. “They are always there for their players with any and everything,” she said. “They help them all achieve their goals on the court and also in the classrooms. It has been a pleasure and a great experience working beside and learning from these three guys.” Patterson informed Rotarians about the different types of fundraisers used to benefit the players and basketball program. One is the uniform fundraiser calendar in which someone picks a day to sponsor a player and pays the amount according to the day picked. This fundraiser is used to help the players pay for the team gear. Another fundraiser that the players participate in is selling The World’s Finest Chocolate. It is also used to help the players pay for their team gear if they did not meet their goal with the calendar. Players can sell as many boxes as they please. Basketball camp is another fundraiser. This is an opportunity for younger students to get help with the skills from the coaches and players. This past school year the basketball program hosted a Students vs. Faculty game as a fundraiser. “This was a fun opportunity for the players to play against their coaches and teachers,” said Patterson, adding that the money raised from these fundraisers goes to the basketball account. “Money raised from fundraisers goes toward more than just the uniforms for the players,” she said. “The money is used for the bus trips, which are 50 cents a mile. It costs $75 a game per referee. There are at least two refs per game. Sometimes we have three game scheduled for one day, which would have us paying $450 total. Last season we played a total of 11 varsity games and seven junior high games.” Patterson went on to say that the money is also used for new balls, which have an average cost of $105. Funds raised during the preseason and season also help pay for pregame and postgame meals for the team, as well as meals and travel for team-bonding trips. “Last season, the girls and boys had the opportunity to play at the FedEx Forum, the NBA stadium where the Memphis Grizzlies play,” Patterson related. “They had the opportunity to watch the Memphis Grizzlies play against the Miami Heat as well as meet a few players. It was a great team-bonding trip for the girls and boys, and a chance to see something different.” The players have started their first fundraiser for the 2024- 25 season, which is the uniform calendar fundraiser. The team will participate in different fundraisers as the season begins, many that will involve the community. This year the basketball program will have fundraisers to buy new jerseys for the teams. Additionally, EHS hosted summer basketball tournaments on June 6 and 20.
