Geneva D-304 accepts $9,000 in donations

Cash will support girls flag football, athletics, horticulture, Vocational Exploration

The Chicago Bears host the high cchool girls flag football state championship last fall at Halas Hall. The IHSA announced Wednesday that girls flag football will become a sanctioned sport. Photo courtesy of the Chicago Bears and Chicago Public Schools Athletic Administration.

The Geneva School District 304 Board on Aug. 12 accepted $9,000 from six donors, including $2,500 to start a new Illinois High School Association sanctioned girls flag football program at Geneva High School.

Because the amounts individually donated were more than $500, district policy requires the school board to vote to accept the gifts.

Bears Care donated $2,500 for supplies and equipment for the girls flag football program.

Ball Horticultural Company, 622 Town Road, West Chicago, donated $2,000 for the GHS Horticultural Club.

Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers, 1998 McKee St., Batavia, donated $1,500 for high school athletics teams’ supplies and uniforms.

Ream’s Meat Market, 250 S. Main St., Elburn, donated $1,500 for high school athletics teams’ supplies and uniforms.

Ken’s Auto Center, 501 Edison St., Geneva, donated $1,000 as a sponsor of Vocational Exploration – known as VocEx – for their next car wash event.

Geneva High School student Jesus Villa Ortiz dries the back window of a car as part of the school’s Vocational Exploration program’s car wash day on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023.

Rookies Village Squire, 480 Randall Road, South Elgin, donated $500 for the next VocEx car wash event.

VocEx is a life- and work-based skills class to assist special education students who have intellectual disabilities or autism diagnoses with independence.

At their first event last year, the students washed and detailed 35 cars and raised $1,000 to donate to local organizations that assist people with special needs and their families.