There are assists in sports such as soccer, hockey, and basketball. And thanks to the Newtown High School Blue & Gold Booster Club, football players, swimmers, and other Nighthawk athletes have been assisted throughout the years as well.

Since its establishment in 1999, the club has raised funds to provide everything from helmets and soccer nets to hockey team ice time; from scoreboards and stadium lights to scholarships, and the long list continues. The money brought in that has been spent on the athletics program has totaled more than $130,000.

“They’ve been instrumental in making upgrades to many different facilities at the high school,” said Newtown High Athletic Director Matt Memoli, who this spring accepted a $5,250 booster club donation to put toward a new video scoreboard for Blue & Gold Stadium.

The booster club has been mostly inactive since 2008. Janis Solheim has served as treasurer since first getting involved with the boosters in 2002, and remains the only booster on board more than a decade after her fourth daughter to go through the high school graduated.

In about 2008, as parents moved on along with their graduating children and individual teams started generating money, parents found they could not help raise money for both their child’s team and the Blue & Gold Booster Club, Solheim said, which effectively disbanded the club.

“People were saying they don’t have the time and couldn’t divide their efforts, and I fully understand that,” Solheim said.

About $50,000 remained in the Blue & Gold Booster Club bank account 13 years ago when the boosters stopped raising money, so Solheim continued to serve as treasurer throughout the years. Despite the club’s inactivity, Solheim made sure the money was protected and allocated to the athletics program when needs arose. In 2014, the booster club account funded a new scoreboard at Blue & Gold Stadium, and in 2018, the account was used for an equipment storage shed, for example.

Although she has kept the booster club involved all by herself, Solheim emphasized that it took quite a team effort for many years. Among those involved during the formation of the booster club (1999-2002), she said, were Jim Ryan (who served as president), Richard Barillari, Mike Kelly, Henry Gellert, John Pantan, and Annmarie DeWeese.

Booster club members from 2002-08, in addition to Solheim, were Dan Barrett (president), Patti Barrett, Laurel Butler, Jerry Shpunt, Joanne Shpunt, and Helen Seferi.

Additionally, Bob Davenport has served as the CPA, gratis, since the beginning.

The boosters turfed a back field that has since been converted back to grass, built the Snack Shack at Blue & Gold Stadium, provided baseball field dugouts, the baseball scoreboard, swim team pool lanes, the stadium flagpole. Money has gone to field renovations, the trophy cases in the school lobby, repair of the golf cart used by athletic department officials on the school campus, replacing the Snack Shack freezer, and more.

“I don’t think people realize just how much money the Blue & Gold Booster Club gave during its tenure when we were really active,” Solheim said.

An annual golf tournament, wine tasting, and raffle were key fundraisers. The boosters also sold Blue & Gold blankets, Nighthawk flags, and team-specific car window stickers.

The Snack Shack has been there for more than two decades and brings in money not just for the football team, but for the entire athletics program.

“The Snack Shack required many volunteers who bought the food, manned the many prep stations, and were cashiers. Patti and Dan Barrett were the driving force behind all of this from 2002 to 2008. All of us truly enjoyed working the Shack. We really had fun,” Solheim said.

Newtown High’s culinary department took over thereafter, and the Snack Shack continues to benefit NHS athletics.

In addition to the boosters being a parent team effort, it took an actual family effort for Solheim to be involved. “I was always supported by my husband, Peter. Volunteer obligations require planning and many nights out,” Solheim said.

And Solheim was a huge supporter of her children both around athletics and the classroom.

“It’s in my DNA. I want my girls to know I was here,” said Solheim, adding that she was involved not only for her children but all of their teammates/classmates.

Her daughters Shannon, Shelley, Kimberly, and Renee all competed at Newtown High. They all have names on bricks outside the Snack Shack at Blue & Gold Stadium. Memoli and assistant Debi Modzelewski are working toward raising funds through more brick sales again in the near future.

Solheim would like to pass the baton to a new group of parents. Memoli wants to resurrect the Booster Club to help continue raising funds to help with upgrades to the athletics programs. While individual teams can raise money specifically designated to their unique team needs, the Blue & Gold Boosters have raised money to help with non team-specific needs, many of which have benefitted several teams.

Memoli asks that parents interested in becoming involved e-mail him at memolim@newtown.k12.ct.us.

Sports Editor Andy Hutchison can be reached at andyh@thebee.com.