Membership Has Its Benefits

The San Antonio Sports Foundation Champion membership program is better than ever! There are more benefits and more opportunities to make a difference and impact the community and its youth.

We’re excited to announce a partnership with the Plaza Club, San Antonio’s premier business and social club, which will deliver valuable benefits to Champion members who join or renew at levels of $500 and above. The benefits include a waiver of initiation fees and more than $1000 in free dining at the Plaza Club, plus privileges at affiliated Club Corp properties.

Sports Foundation members will also be happy to know that they will now receive priority bonus points towards the possible purchase of 2008 NCAA® Final Four® tickets at face value.

Don’t miss your chance to take advantage of these great new benefits now. Just click here for a three-page flyer and registration form. You may also call 210-820-2100 with any questions you might have. Sign up today, get your year-end charitable deduction and join the team that makes things happen!



Dr. Susan Blackwood
Executive Director

Promote Your Agency or Business to Thousands

On Sunday, December 4, from 12- 4 p.m., thousands of Valero Go!Kids Challenge™ participants and their parents will converge on the Alamodome for the Subway Victory Lap Celebration. Do you know a child-serving non-profit agency or for-profit business that would like to share its programs with 25,000 fitness enthusiasts?

In addition to walking their victory lap and earning their finishers’ medals and t-shirts, the Go!Kids participants and their families will enjoy an interactive health and fitness fair. The Sports Foundation invites anyone interested in having a booth at the fair to contact Elena Stout at 210-820-2127 or estout@sanantoniosports.org for complete details.

Nominate the Sports Foundation Volunteer of the Year

Next Tuesday, November 14, is the deadline to nominate your choice for the San Antonio Sports Foundation Volunteer of the Year. Our volunteers are our most valuable resource, and they show a strong desire to give simply for the sake of giving.

The Leo & Chickie Rose “Volunteer of the Year” award recognizes the San Antonio Sports Foundation’s most outstanding volunteer each year. It is awarded to a volunteer who has made significant contributions to the Sports Foundation’s volunteer program through length of service, loyalty and commitment to the organization, and service to his/her fellow volunteers.

Click here to download the form to nominate your pick for the 2005 Sports Foundation’s “Volunteer of the Year”. The award will be announced at the December board of directors’ meeting.

Texas A&M Takes Title at Big 12 Soccer Championship

Photo by Jaye Howell, courtesy Big 12

Texas A&M clinched its second consecutive title at the Big 12 Soccer Championship on Sunday, November 6, in double overtime against Colorado. Hosted by the San Antonio Sports Foundation and the University of Texas, the Championship tournament saw many tight scores and overtime games at Blossom Soccer Stadium.

The Big 12 was awarded five bids to the NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship. They are Texas A&M, Colorado, Nebraska, Texas and Iowa State. Texas A&M will host the 2005 College Cup in College Station on Dec. 2 and 4. For complete information on Big 12 Soccer and the College Cup, click here.

The Big 12 Conference has awarded the Sports Foundation three more years of hosting their Women’s Soccer Championship, meaning it will return to San Antonio through 2009.

HBO Screens New Soccer Documentary in San Antonio

Ed Sakiewicz, SAMYS; Mike Hopper, HBO; Abby Wambach; Dr. Susan Blackwood and Mary Japhet, Sports Foundation; Jon Gary Herrera, Time Warner Cable at the"Dare to Dream" screening. Photo by David Smith, courtesy HBO.

The San Antonio Sports Foundation was pleased to help host a screening of the HBO documentary “Dare to Dream. The Story of the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team” in San Antonio on November 2. U.S. National Team member and Olympic gold medalist Abby Wambach was on hand as hundreds viewed the exciting and inspirational story of a group of young women who made sports history – not only achieving the pinnacle of success in their sport, but also becoming American sports icons, especially to millions of young women.

San Antonio Metropolitan Youth Soccer Institute (SAMYS), the Women’s Sports Foundation and Time Warner Cable joined the Sports Foundation and HBO in hosting the event. “Dare to Dream” will debut on HBO on December 11.

2005 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball
FREE, FREE, FREE!

During a Tuesday press conference, local volleyball legends Demetria Sance Padgitt and Laura Neugebauer-Groff joined Coca-Cola’s Jane Grout and Valero’s Lee Rahmberg at SBC Parkway’s Valero Corner Store to announce several opportunities for the public to experience this National Championship first-hand.

Anyone who purchases a ticket to the NCAA Volleyball Championship will receive a free official tournament t-shirt, compliments of NCAA Corporate Champion Coca-Cola and Valero Corner Stores.

Coca-Cola and Valero Energy Corporation are also partnering to create awareness of the NCAA Volleyball Championship by offering a special promotion at area Valero and Diamond Shamrock Corner Stores. From now through December 5, anyone who purchases a large 44 ounce Coca-Cola fountain drink will receive a free commemorative Championship cup while supplies last.

YES Clinic

Girls and boys ages 10-18 can register now for one of the two free volleyball clinics that will be held in conjunction with the Championship. On Saturday, December 17, NCAA YES (Youth Education through Sports) clinics will be held at Trinity University and Southwest High School. The clinics are conducted by college volleyball coaches and student-athletes and include a special session for parents of the participants. To register, visit www.saloc.org or call 210-820-2102.

Tickets Going Fast!

Don’t wait; get your tickets now while they last! All-session passes to the Championship are still available and can be purchased for $46 by going online at www.saloc.org or calling (210) 820-2104.

Volunteers Still Needed

Only a few volunteer shifts remain to be filled. If you are interested in helping during the Championship, register online today at www.saloc.org or call volunteer coordinators Sheila Jones and Mary Holland at (210) 492-8801 for shift assignments.

SASF Golf Classic Teams Filling Fast

Teams are selling fast for the 2005 Sports Foundation Golf Classic “Holiday Edition”, which takes place Monday, December 12 at the Dominion Country Club. It’s easy to see why! The winning team will score a foursome in the 2006 SBC Championship Pro-Am. Other great prizes will be awarded for 2nd, 3rd and even 4th place teams, as well as the longest drive and closest to the hole.

We thank all of our current tournament sponsors and encourage you to join them by sponsoring a team to help support the Sports Foundation’s Dreams for Youth and Go!Kids Challenge™ youth initiatives, today!

Gold Sponsor – Cox Smith Matthews, Inc.

Silver Sponsors – Coca Cola Bottling Company, Clear Channel Broadcasting, News 4 WOAI, SBC Communications, Whataburger, Inc.

Bronze Sponsors – BudCo Ltd, Capstone Corporation, City of Live Oak Economic Development, Ernst & Young, George Becknell, Sr., H-E-B, IKON Office Solutions, Merrill Lynch, Mike Trevino, Security Service Federal Credit Union, Sterling Foods, Inc., Southwest Business Corporations, The Gambrinus Company, Valero Energy Corporation

Just click here for all the details of sponsorship and benefits.

Valero Go!Kids Challenge™

The Valero Go!Kids Challenge™ is entering the homestretch, with thousands of elementary students logging their miles. New Orleans Saints player Ben Archibald (pictured right) continues to motivate as he makes appearances at schools on behalf of the Valero Go!Kids Challenge. Last week he visited LB Johnson Elementary (Edgewood ISD) and spoke to the children in both Spanish and English, delighting his audience. His message emphasized being healthy, exercising, and eating right. Ben pointed out that they were half way towards their goal of 26 miles, relating it to his job by saying the Saints had already played eight games, which is half way towards their goal of 16 games.

Don’t forget, you can see Ben and the Saints take on the Detroit Lions on Saturday, December 24, at the Alamodome. Tickets are available at www.neworleanssaints.com.

Go!Kids also helped inaugurate the new Julia Yates Semmes Public Library at Comanche Lookout Park last weekend. The fun, family event included a special Valero Go!Kids Challenge walk, music, art, face painting, story time and other activities geared toward enjoying this beautiful new library.

And if you missed it, several success stories were highlighted in the SA Life section of the San Antonio Express News on October 31. Click here to read the story. With only three weeks to go, the Subway Victory Lap celebration is just around the corner on Sunday, Dec. 4.

Champions Club
Individual Members at $1,000+

Gary & Shelia Arthur; Morton Baird; Sam Barshop; Ed Benninger; James Blackwood; Susan Blackwood; June Bratcher; Tim Brierty; Howard Burris; Jim Callaway; Cassandra Carr; James Doyle; Jim Dublin; Charlie Ebrom; Dr. Frank Fichtel; Larry Franklin; Pat & Kelley Frost; Dr. Jamie Garza; Claude Gilmer; William Greehey; Joe Guinn; Bill & Marcia Hanson; Cheryl Haywood; Michael Imbimbo; Scott Hefner; Scott Helbing; George C. Hixon; Peter Holt; Steve Isom; Stacey Johnson; Michael Jourdan; Greg & Leigh Ann King; Michael Lynd; Lowry Mays; Red McCombs; James Mickey; Phil Miner; Tom Reardon; Marty Roos; Dr. David Schmidt; Dr. Earl Smith; Steve Souter; Michael G. Stoltz; Neill Walsdorf, Jr.; Carri Wells; Jeff Wentworth; Paul Young

Corporate Champions

City of San Antonio; SBC Communications Inc.

$50,000

Creative Link; IKON Office Solutions; San Antonio Express-News; Valero Energy Corporation

$20,000

Pepsi Bottling Group; San Antonio Coca-Cola Bottling Co; San Antonio Spurs; Whataburger, Inc.

$10,000

Budget Car & Truck Rental; Cingular Wireless; Langley & Banack; Maverick Video Production; NuMedia: Oak Farms Dairy; Paladin IT Services; Methodist Children's Hospital; Spectrum Health Clubs; Sports Medicine Associates of San Antonio, The Dominion Country Club

$5,000

George Becknell; Bender & Associates; BudCo., Inc.; The CE Group - Communication & Events; ChapmanSchewe Benefits Consulting; Comet Neon Advertising; The Darmstetter Company; Frost Bank; H-E-B Grocery Company; Hertz Corporation; JP Morgan Chase; KPMG; Merrill Lynch; Methodist Healthcare System; Michael Imbimbo, Inc.; Miner Corporation; The Plaza Club; Security Service Federal Credit Union; Soccer Sports Complex; Sterling Bank; Sterling Foods, Inc.; SWBC; Jon Turner; Wells Fargo Bank; Zachry Hospitality, Inc.

$2,500

Allegra Print & Imaging; Bank of America; Broadway National Bank; Carneiro, Chummney & Co.; C.C. Creations; Catering by Don Strange; Colonial Supplemental Insurance; Cox Smith Matthews Incorporated; Ear Medical Group; Ernst & Young; FIRSTMARK Credit Union; First Rate Investment Systems; Flowers Bakeries; GLI Distributing; Halo Distributing; Initial Security; Dr. Susan Marenda-King; Marriott Rivercenter/Riverwalk; Mission Pharmacal; Pape-Dawson Consulting Engineers, Inc.; SpawGlass Contractors, Inc.; Tesoro Petroleum Companies; Walton Signage; Yantis Company

Grants/Foundations

The Alfred S. Gage Foundation, Bexar County Health & Human Services CDBG; Bexar County Women's Bar Foundation; Brown Foundation; Charity Ball Foundation; Coleman Foundation; Criminal Justice Division JJDP Grant; Criminal Justice Division Safe and Drug Free Schools Grant; GAC Halff Foundation; Light Foundation; Myra Stafford Pryor Charitable Trust; The Sequor Foundation; David & Betty Sachs Foundation; Smith Barney; Women’s Sports Foundation

Founding Sponsors

City of San Antonio; H-E-B; USAA Foundation, A Charitable Trust; Valero Energy Corporation