Photos help raise funds for student admission to Central athletic events

By Kaitlyn Kuehl-Berns | Times-Register

Fans at Central’s athletic events this year may have noticed Jarod Bormann behind his camera along the field, court or mat more frequently. While he is often the man behind many sport teams’ season photos, his activity shots have taken on a new purpose this year through contributing to the Central Activity Ticket Drive fundraiser.

The purpose of the fundraiser is to raise money to cover the cost of all students attending home events. Bormann shared that he supported the initiative because, “It gives all students, regardless of their family’s income or economic status, the opportunity to come support their friends, family members, classmates and be a part of the environment.”

The cost for a single student activity pass is $45, making the goal to cover all Central students $21,500. Admission costs collected at athletic events are utilized to cover game-day operations, including officials, announcers, scoreboard or clock operators and other related expenses.

The donation drive was created by the school to replace a previous cupcake fundraiser. It began with posters shared around town and on social media with links to donate.

When the fundraiser was announced at the beginning of the school year, local businesses got involved by holding specials or events where a portion of their sales were donated to the cause.

Bormann shared that these business efforts inspired him to utilize skills he has built through his side business, Professionally Driven Productions, to get involved and spread awareness for the fundraiser by photographing Central’s sports.

Bormann committed to attending and capturing photos of at least one home event in each sport for both high school and junior high athletics. He said he attended many activities, especially those his children were involved in, where he was already taking photos of athletes.

His process includes taking thousands of photos, carefully culling them down to the best and editing the images before sharing them. Bormann noted he has developed a workflow that makes it manageable and allows him to post photos fairly quickly.

He shares the images on a Facebook page he created specifically for the project called “Central Activity Fundraiser Photos.”

“I didn’t want to bombard my personal or business page with sports photos, so I created a completely separate page,” Bormann said. “That way the photos are in a spot where it’s easy for athletes and their families to find, go back to, download and share.”

The images are free for everyone to download. Bormann simply asks those who enjoy the photos consider making a donation in support of the fundraiser. Bormann donates his time and supplies, with 100 percent of the money raised going to the Central Activity Ticket Drive.

So far, Bormann has raised $900—$800 during the fall sports season and $100 so far during the winter season.

“I love seeing the pictures get shared,” Bormann said. “It helps spread school pride. Families outside of the community get to see and enjoy the action photos. Athletes from other schools benefit from it as well.”

Bormann encourages everyone to show up to support the athletes.

“It really makes a big difference to the kids who are competing,” he said. “It creates a whole different environment and lasting memories for kids putting in a ton of work. It helps them wear their school logo with pride and go out there and give an all-out effort. They know that, regardless of the results, they have a whole fan base supporting them every step of the way.”

Reflecting on his time as a student-athlete, Bormann shared, “When I was in school, it made a huge difference knowing I had support in the crowd—particularly classmates—to help you feel more confident and like you weren’t doing it just for yourself.”

Bormann’s sports photos can be found on his Facebook page, “Central Activity Fundraiser Photos.” Donations can be made to support his effort to raise funds for the Central Activity Ticket Drive through Venmo at @jbormann3 or by contacting him directly.