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Wrestlers look for community service project

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Coach Steve Koch needs your help. He wants to help the community of Ramona.

Every year the Ramona High School wrestling team has two community service projects. Koch and his grapplers are looking for projects.

“With current budget cutbacks, a major source of funds for wrestling comes from voluntary contributions from family, friends and interested sponsors,” said Koch. “The money earned from our Community Service Day Project will be used to help pay for uniforms, equipment and travel expenses.

“Our major project for next year is a new mat. We have raised some money, and our athletic director has funds available that will help, but we are still about $1,500 short. Community Service Day could get us over the hump.”

The team desperately needs a new mat for space and safety reasons, he explained.

The wrestlers do two community service projects a year. In the past they have painted the VFW Hall, cleaned fire victims’ homes and property, helped at the Ramona Senior Center and many other activities.

If you have an organization that needs help, Koch wants to know.

“Community service is a part of our program that helps create well-rounded, socially minded student-athletes,” he said. “We want athletes to represent their team, family, school and community. We want to help the community. We will lend some hands. We are not looking for a hand out, just some helping hands.”

Ramona wrestling has had over 50 CIF champions, and every one has done community service. They were the seventh ranked team in the CIF last year. RHS has had numerous league and CIF team championships.

Koch wants his wrestlers to be champs off the mat, too.

Koch has been the Ramona Unified School District Teacher of the Year and was a finalist for the San Diego County Teacher of the Year. He teaches social studies at RHS.

The wrestlers need help finding an organization or community group that needs help. It is a win-win situation. The wrestlers want to help and in turn get some help.

Contact Koch at skoch@ramonausd.net or, if you know a RHS wrestler, let him or her know about your organization. Koch and his staff work right along with the grapplers in the projects.

After a project is chosen, each wrestler will go out and solicit donors to pledge money for the project. It’s similar to the lift-a-thon.

The money raised will help the entire wrestling program.

The wrestlers will be competing in the Palomar League next season, a league with awesome tradition and programs.

Do you know of an organization that needs some help with a paint job, planting, cleanup? You name it. The Bulldog grapplers are willing to help.

Help the community and help the wrestlers at the same time. Contact Koch.

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