April 5, 2003
ALBANY - If you needed to raise five million dollars how would you start? A raffle? Maybe selling barbecue lunch? It may sound far fetched, but organizers say a slow start could build to a big finish, with visions of a completed stadium on the Albany State campus.
"This fundraising is to get the community to do something for themselves," American Legion Post 512 member Tommie Postell said.
The American Legion Post and a group called Friends of ASU got together in the fundraising effort, when they realized a change in state leadership, put the last half of a promised ten million dollars from the state in real jeopardy. They've already spent part of their five million dollars clearing out a large piece of land to build the stadium, but they say in raising the rest of the money, they'll leave no stone unturned.
"We're trying to include everybody to make Albany understand it's not just ASU stadium but the Albany community stadium," Gerald Williams said.
A stadium one former coach says would mean both a boom to the economy and the University's athletic program.
"As athletics grow the town grows we lost our baseball team but we got something to look forward to with the football team," Coach Hampton Smith said.
The next thing to look forward to, grass, and a few of the 17,000 seats these players hope to one day pack, that is if they can find a way to keep the money coming in.
The winning Kia Rio Raffle ticket will be drawn on Superbowl Sunday next season.
posted at 5:20 p.m. by dave.d'marko@walb.com
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