Hopewell Youth Softball Board Elects First Female President and Executive positions in History!

In a historic election the Hopewell Youth Softball Recreation Board elected its first female President and Vice Presidents in the club history!

In a email released today the outgoing President who has served with distinction for years had this to say on the state of the league, “I wanted to write about some recent events and give you and update on some board related items.  These are critical and important to the future and function of our organization so please take a minute to read if you are able.

We are proud to say that we now have our first field up and running at the Racoon Park location.  Many improvements have been put into this location including grading and bringing new dirt into the infield, placing new home plate and bases as well as some dugout maintenance work.  We have seen multiple practices our there with Coach Marks 15U team.  I am hopeful that we will be able to utilize this field for some possible late season games or the potential need for a playoff game location with our heavy load of 8U/10U/12U teams and the need to host multiple playoff games in a single day.

In addition, there have been so many wonderful additions to the Independence Field locations over the past few seasons we can say we have some nice facilities for our kids to play the game.  I have personally received compliments on the field conditions at Independence and the investment that you have all made through our fundraising efforts are a big part of that as well as the tireless grounds crew like maintenance habits that have been instilled into the organization by board member Nick Holsinger.  Any rain used to shut us down for days and there were many efforts like tarps and many hours brooming and dragging to dry out fields but now we don’t have those problems.  A rain in the morning isn’t a deterrent to hosting a game in the evening any more.  All of this is to say that we have made a investment in the grounds and the equipment to help keep these grounds in tip top shape and that is all due to your contributions as well.  Overall we are in a great position to keeping these girls on the field playing the game they love.

One big change coming up this season will be the eventual transition of multiple board members into new positions for the Fall ’24 season.  Bryan Pavlisko (President), Mark Sembower (Vice President) and Nick Holsinger (Treasurer) will be moving on from the board at the end of the season.  As we grow as an organization we need to provide opportunities for more people especially newer families in our organization to have a part and a say in how things get done around here.  The board also recognizes this and we want to create new opportunity and longevity for the organization.  This won’t be a good bye for many of these members of the board but a chance to step aside and help in different ways to bolster the organization while creating new opportunity and learning for the up and coming members with a passion to help us be a better version of ourselves.

That said, the board has taken the following actions as a part of our initial call for board member participation earlier in the year.  Rachel Santamaria will be transitioning into the board President position starting Fall ’24.  Mary Cronin will be transitioning into the board Vice President position starting Fall ’24.  Having these two current board members who have served on the board will help to bring a continuity on the board as we search for replacements for their positions.  With those transitions we have the following state of the Hopewell softball board.

President: Bryan Pavlisko -> Rachel Santamaria
Vice President: Mark Sembower -> Mary Cronin
Treasurer: Nick Holsinger -> (OPEN)
Secretary: Rachel Santamaria -> (OPEN)
Commisioner: Sean Dunning
Fields/Grounds: Keith Cunningham
Fundraising: Mary Cronin -> (OPEN)

We are currently looking for members of the organization that would like to fill these open positions.  Rachel has done some work to detail the responsibilities and duties of these positions and we will list them below so that you may consider a nomination or self-nomination for a position starting in Fall ’24.  As time is critical in our season we could use any time now to also help you learn and transition the position.  The following is a summary of the currently open positions for Fall ’24.

Treasurer:
Maintain all of organizations financial records.
– Create Annual budget of revenues and expenses / compare to actuals
– Maintain document detailing all organizations transactions
– Reconcile/review organizations checking/savings account
– Handle all payments out and deposit all revenues
– Treasurer maintains PayPal account and must approve all transactions in/out
– Reviews concession stand revenues
– Provides cash to coaches for umpires
– Review revenues in from Blue Sombrero for registration fees
– Report Financial Status each meeting
– Complete Form 990-N for tax exempt status (Annually before tax day)

Secretary:
– Take detailed notes during every board meeting (email them to board for approval)
– In charge of field schedule for all team practices
– Work with all head coaches to ensure each team gets one weekday practice.
– Send correspondence to sponsors, thanking them for donations
– Assist fundraising/concessions when needed
– Help coordinate concession stand sign ups
– Ensure all clearances are up to date and on file

Fundraising:
– Keeps concession stand stocked and recruits volunteers
– Responsible for speaking to local businesses for sponsorships and donations
– Responsible to getting food donations from parents and local vendors
– Fall and Spring Raffle Ticket Fundraiser
– Concession Stand (Scheduling, Opening and Closing and end of season)
– Submit receipts to the Treasurer for reimbursement
– Checking money box to take out extra funds and getting money to Treasurer to deposit
– Spirit Wear
– Sponsorship Activities

There are many talented and skilled people in our community and organization that I know have what it takes to help us continue to function and grow.  Please consider nominating yourself or someone you know that might help us fill these positions.  We have some of the best parents in our organization and i know that you will be able to help us continue to provide the best experience for our kids to learn and grow with the sport of softball.

Thanks,

The Hopewell Girls Softball Board”

HSN spoke to the new President to garner some insight into her background and plans for the future of the league;

Coach Rachel is a distinguished individual with an impressive background in softball. She proudly served as a Varsity Letterman for four years at Brooke High School in Wellsburg, WV. Additionally, she honed her skills by participating in travel softball for four years during her high school years, culminating in an appearance at the Softball World Series in 2001.
Following her high school tenure, Coach Rachel continued to excel in the sport at West Virginia Wesleyan College, where she specialized in pitching and playing middle infield. Her passion for softball extended beyond playing, as she transitioned into coaching roles spanning over 15 years at the high school level, along with more than 5 years of experience coaching at the 8U and 10U levels.
Currently, Coach Rachel dedicates her expertise to guiding the Beaver Valley Rage travel 10U team, contributing significantly to their development and success. Furthermore, she is an invaluable member of the coaching staff for both the Hopewell Varsity and Junior Varsity teams, where her knowledge and commitment continue to inspire young athletes to achieve their best on the field.

Rachel is excited to take on this new role and when asked by HSN what her plans for the future are she had this to say, “I can’t thank the current board members enough for all they have done supporting this community and softball program for years! Brian, Mark and Nick have truly set the bar high and the expectations for success are real. I will take the Summer to help fill the remaining board positions and then engage with our past leadership and new incoming members to hear their thoughts and ideas for the future of the league and begin to outline more formal plans. A few items I know we have been eager to engage in are: Community Engagement, continuing to focus on player development through partnership with our Hopewell Varsity teams and further Raccoon Field enhancements.

HSN wishes good luck to all the new and incoming board members of the Hopewell Youth Softball Organization.