Sampson Middle raising funds for Western N.C.

With the effects of Hurricane Helene still lingering in many parts of western North Carolina, Sampson Middle has partnered with Cane Creek Middle in Buncombe County to raise funds to replace their damaged baseball fields.

A 50/50 raffle is being used to raise funds, with the idea coming from athletic director Robert Hill Jr.

“After all the flooding took place, and we started hearing about the devastation in the western part of the state, I reached out to several high schools and middle schools and finally made contact with the athletic director at Cane Creek,” Hill said. “He and I spoke in October or November. I told him what I wanted to do, and that’s when he shared that the baseball fields had been completely wiped away, including the fencing and scoreboard. The dugouts were still standing, but everything inside of them was ruined.”

Hill said he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do to help the school, but he did know that he wanted to do something. “I told him to give me a little time to work on something, and I had this idea come up about a week ago,” the middle school athletic director recanted. “I called him up and spoke with him again, and told him what we were doing and this is where we are.”

Tickets for the fundraiser benefiting Cane Creek are $10 each. In a 50/50 raffle, the winning ticket receives half of the total funds raised, with the remainder going to the organization benefiting from the fundraiser — in this case, the western middle school. Hill said his goal is to sell 500 tickets, which would net both Cane Creek and the winner $2,500 each.

While Hill was unsure what the total cost of the project to replace the fields would be, he said he is aware that the school will be receiving assistance from the local parks and recreation department as well as the contributions from the Sampson County locals.

Tickets can be purchased through Hill, who said interested parties may come to Sampson Middle and he will get them their tickets. The drawing will be on Feb. 3 at halftime of the boys’ middle school basketball championship game.