July 14, 2009
By Richard Stevens — Senior Writer/GoLobos.com
There might be a misconception or two about the type of person who volunteers to help The Lobo Club in its annual push for memberships and donations.
It’s not just some ex-Lobo trying to stay in touch with their glory days. It’s not a retiree with a lot of time on his or her hands. For example:
— One member of the 2009 Drive had a baby during the first month on the annual campaign.
— Another volunteer did not go to the University of New Mexico and, in fact, had two daughters graduate from New Mexico State.
— One member did her Lobo Club Drive thing while taking care of a 9-month-old.
— One member grew up in another state and also did not attend UNM.
Yeah, there is a variety. What they all have in common is a strong desire to see the flagship university in their state succeed athletically on the national level while they help a bunch of good kids get an education.
“I do it for the kids,” said Rudy Diaz, the chair for the 2009 Drive, which raised a club-record $4,318,504. “Every time I do this I see a bunch of good kids who are good athletes and good students and need some help.”
Diaz is one of the Drive members with a strong love for UNM athletics – a love that didn’t necessarily spring from Lobo roots. He has the two Aggie daughters. He once was a fund-raiser for Texas-El Paso.
“I’m from Las Cruces,” said Diaz. “But I moved to Albuquerque in 1974 and this is my home. I’m a Lobo.”
Susie Singer also is a Lobo. But she didn’t start off that way. Her roots are Kansas with a dab of University of Miami thrown in. Her motivation to support the Lobos is a pure one.
“I’m not from New Mexico and no one in my family went to UNM, but this is where I am and this is my university where I look to get all my athletics from,” said Singer.
“I think if you are going to go out and enjoy these sports, you need to give back to the school and the kids who provide that entertainment. I think anyone who goes to a sporting event at UNM should contribute to those kids’ scholarships.”
J.C. Lopez is a local businessman who takes time away from his trade to help the Lobos as a Drive member and team captain. He also does it for the kids.
“One of the main reasons I became involved with the Lobo Club is because my kids became adults,” said Lopez. “I love athletics and wanted to stay involved and I have a passion for the Lobos. If I thought the money was going to salaries I probably wouldn’t be doing this, but this is for the kids.”
The Lobo Club raises money to provide scholarships for the UNM student-athlete. The Drive’s goal in 2009 was $4,250,000. The Club surpassed that during its official Drive, but the push to raise money and recruit new Lobo Club members doesn’t really have a finish line.
“We are in a city of 750,000 people and there is no reason we can’t push this to a 5,000 membership,” said David Sabolcik, the Club’s Executive Director. “There are a lot of people we need to touch and if the economy was better, I think we could be up $1 million more than where we are now.
“We are trying to reach people who want to see our athletes excel at a high level and to do that it cost a lot – to retain coaches, to improve facilities, to provide the resources so our teams can be competitive. There is a lot of excitement about Lobo athletics right now.”
The Lobos had a record-setting year in 2008-09 on many fronts. UNM won five league titles, had two individual national champions, nine Players of The Year, and set school records on the field and in the classroom.
“Our programs are getting better; no doubt,” said Paul Krebs, a UNM Vice President in charge of athletics.
Still, in a depressed economy, it was a lofty goal for the 2009 Drive to shoot for a new club record.
“We didn’t think it was fair to UNM athletics to stay flat and not set our goals high,” said Sabolcik. “We wanted to set goals that were challenging but achievable. We lost some big donors, who had to cut back because of the economy, so it was rewarding to reach our goals. It took exceptional effort by our Drive members to reach those goals.”
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“I think if you are going to go out and enjoy these sports, you need to give back to the school and the kids who provide that entertainment.” Susie Singer, team captain on 2009 Drive |
The 2009 Drive actually set records in several areas: members (3,190), gifts-in-kind ($1,863,240), Cash donations ($2,455,264) and total pledges ($4,318,504).
The Lobo Club Drive also produced some individual awards: Top Producer, Yvonne Moise ($157,753); Top Rookie Producer, Aaron Lobato ($7,039); Top New Money, John Brooks ($11,089); Most New Members, Rita Flores (33); Most Memberships, John Clark (138); Most Valuable Rookie, Paula Schwartz; Drive’s MVP, Bill Michael; Spirit Award, Norman Burns.
The eight team captains for the 2009 Drive are: Noel Behne ($275,019 team money), Anthony Burns ($94,671), J.C. Lopez ($122,658), Bill Michael ($204,048), Lynn Mosher ($334,395), Linda Perkins ($212,308), Rick Siegel ($173,422) and Susie Singer ($157,444). Team Lopez won the race to sign new members (70).
“I was a little surprised we reached our goal,” said Diaz. “I know I personally lost about $10,000 in previous donations because the economy. But we had some really good captains and they motivated their teams and made it happen.”
Said Lopez: “People know the money is going to the kids and that’s important. There might be people out there who can’t give as much money as they used to but there are a whole lot who will give $50, $100.
“We just ask people for what they can afford to give. These are Lobo fans. They want to see the Lobos succeed. That might be the bottom line.”