ROGERS PARK— The Friends of Sullivan group raised close to $10,000 for new shoulder pads and other equipment for the high school's football team.
After Sullivan High School said they needed new football equipment, several Rogers Park community members helped them achieve that goal.
A fundraiser called "Shoulder Pads For Sullivan" was held Wednesday at Pub 626, located at 1406 W. Morse Ave. The event was well attended by school faculty, staff and members of the neighborhood.
Boomer Berman, a Rogers Park resident, created the Go Fund Me account to help out the team. He says online donations are still coming in even though the Go Fund Me account raised more money than he expected.
"To see the kids faces was worth it. We knew that we had to make this happen," Berman said. "We haven't counted what we made at the door and what the bar kicked in," Berman said after the event Wednesday.
Chad Adams, Sullivan's principal, was surprised at how fast the funds were raised.
"This shows the power of people and the power of Rogers Park," Adams said. "We got this done in a week. This was a community effort."
Sullivan football coach Calvin Clark echoed Adams' sentiments about receiving financial support from the community.
"It means a lot. Not only for the school, but for the boys," Clark said. "It means a lot that Rogers Park got behind us. This makes our boys to want to go out and do better."
Colm Tracy, the owner of Pub 626, was happy to help as part of the Rogers Park business community.
"I'm just honored to have the opportunity. Even though I didn't go to Sullivan, it's good to see where the money is going," Tracy said. "Being a part of Rogers Park, the other business owners got me involved."
Ald. Joe Moore (49th) enjoyed the event, but took a more somber approach as to why public schools in Chicago have go to these lengths to find resources.
"The lack of action by our leaders in Springfield is appalling. The fact that we're left to raise nickels and dimes is tragic," Moore said.
Friends of Sullivan also received some social media help from former Bears Lance Briggs and Charles Tillman after the players retweeted the Go Fund Me campaign.
Hey @LanceBriggs can we get a retweet to support Chicago High School Football? Sullivan in #RogersPark needs pads! https://t.co/oCwDwchGpg
— Boomer Berman (@BoomerBerman) May 18, 2016
Hey @peanuttillman can we get a retweet to support Chicago High School Football? Sullivan in #RogersPark needs pads! https://t.co/U3cRS9ft73
— Boomer Berman (@BoomerBerman) May 18, 2016
Divine Owoseni, a sophomore running back on the team, appreciated the efforts of the Rogers Park community, especially when they needed them the most.
"I came here [Sullivan] to play football. It is good to see that they care about us having good football equipment," Owoseni said. "When you have great equipment, great coaches, and great players, you win."
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