Carpet Country generous sponsors of fundraiser for Mexia High Chess Club
Dana Howard, owner of Carpet Country, has donated a room of carpet with pad to the Mexia High School Chess Club for a drawing to raise funds to purchase DVD’s, chess clocks, and other needed training and equipment needs. The offer includes the installation of the carpet and the removal of the old carpet and pad.
The drawing is set for March 6, 2008.“Dana Howard’s donation of materials and labor are an awesome gift in support of the Chess Club,” said Mr. Johnnie Cotton, principal. “This community really gets behind the kids and the programs that strengthen them, but Mr. Howard has raised the bar considerably. It is a most gracious act on his part.”
The Chess Club is selling the tickets for one dollar each or six tickets for five dollars. A book of 30 tickets costs $25, and many people have bought them that way.
A total of 6,000 tickets have been printed for sale and nearly half have been sold. “The first round of sales has delivered all of the team members’ family, neighbors, and friends,” said Mr. Eddie Lee Payne, chess coach.
“The January 19 sale of tickets in front of Wal-Mart added nearly $1,000 in sales. We are grateful to David Ward, the manager, for his strong support and commitment to the community. Mr. Ward has graciously given us February 16 as another day for selling tickets in front of Wal-Mart. We are hoping that there will be as strong an outpouring of support for the Chess Club then as there was this month.”
“It was blue cold January 19, but our team stuck it out the entire day. We had three members—-Eric Smith, Ryan Perry, and Muhammad Ahmed—-stand in front of Wal-Mart and sell tickets from 9:00am to 5:00pm and wouldn’t take a break. Is that commitment or what? This is a hard working and committed group of kids,” added Mr. Payne.
The Chess Team is preparing daily for their first trip to State. The Texas Scholastic Chess Championship will be in Houston from March 7-9, 2008. Ten team members will be playing in the Junior Varsity Division, the section for those who are unranked by the United States Chess Federation (USCF). By competing in the state championship, the Mexia team will become members of USCF and will attain their rating from the games they play at State.
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