RENSSELAER – Rensselaer High School students Emma Endres and Taylor Hess are not having a typical summer before they start their senior year in September.
Yes, they’re each working two summer jobs. But for the two friends who’ve known each other since preschool and play softball and basketball together, it’s their side gig that’s challenging them and giving them butterflies.
They just have to raise $125,000 to save Rensselaer’s sports programs. They’re the student leaders who went to the Rensselaer City School District and volunteered to lead the drive for community donations that would to replace the sports funding cut from the 2020-21 budget.
“Nerve wracking,” Taylor, 17, said about deciding to fund raise. “I have never done this. I didn’t know how to go about it,” Taylor said.
The two friends and teammates received a boost when the Rensselaer Athletic Association pledged $10,000 to fund sports. That boosted their spirits, said Emma, 16, when they realized the original goal of $135,000 had been reduced for them with that first gift.
They had seen the coronavirus pandemic erase the spring sports calendar and hinder the senior year for the high school’s class of 2020. They didn’t want the Rensselaer City School District’s budget issues to eliminate sports for their senior year.
“I just want to get back out and start playing again,” said Emma, who also plays soccer.
Playing on the court and the field isn’t as daunting as fundraising.
“We’ve never been the front and the face of a fundraising campaign. It’s a lot of pressure. I don’t want to let anyone down,” Taylor said.
But if any of the district’s teenagers can do it, these friends and teammates are the ones. They’re already together while working at the city spray pool on East Street in addition to working at food-related jobs – Taylor at the D and G Food Truck in the Port of Albany and Emma at Cugino’s Pizzeria on Broadway. Brainstorming about fundraising is now part of their summer routine, just as are their plans to attend college.
Taylor’s and Emma’s decision to raise the funds was a natural move, according to Kristin Alonzo, coach of the girls basketball team and a special education teacher at Van Rensselaer Elementary School.
“When I heard it was them I wasn’t surprised. These two young women shine both in athletics and in the classroom. They are go-getters,” said Alonzo, who with other coaches is forgoing their coaching stipends to aid the campaign to return to competition.
The district eliminated its $219,000 sports budget as it attempted unsuccessfully to win approval for a $27.18 million 2020-21 budget. Twice the district presented budgets and twice voters rejected them. The district is now on a contingency budget for the 2020-21 school year.
Athletic Director Bill Spath said the district needs only $135,000 for sports instead of the full amount due to not replacing equipment and other savings.
Taylor and Emma have met with district leaders to get their campaign started. Superintendent Joseph Kardash said the two students came forward on their own and possess the enthusiasm to successfully reach their $125,000 goal.
The friends are planning on bottle drives, breakfasts and going door-to-door to businesses to seek donations. They emphasized everything will be done safely to avoid anyone contracting or spreading COVID-19.
The secret the two have for getting the money in this community drive is Rensselaer’s tight knit feel and its love for sports.
“It’s a small school. It’s a small city where people help out,” Taylor said.
“The city is good about coming together,” Emma said. “Rensselaer is such a sports loving city, everyone is going to help.”
To inquire about donating to save Rensselaer sports this school year, call Rensselaer Jr./Sr. High school Monday through Friday at (518) 436-8561 and press "1" for the main office.
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