Deadline approaches for teams, sponsors

It’s Time for DodgeBrawl!

The annual fundraiser for Okmulgee Public Schools is approaching. The event, sponsored by Neal’s Homestore is set for Nov. 18, from 6-10 p.m. at Brock Gymnasium.

Dodgebrawl brings together a wide variety of players and teams, engagement is the old school game of dodgeball, but with all the money raised going to support Okmulgee Public Schools.

Last year, over $9,000 was raised.

You can sign up to participate, sponsor or volunteer by going to nealshomestore.com/dodgebrawl. The deadline is Saturday, Nov 4.

In an interview earlier this year, OHS alumni and business owner John Neal Jr. explained how the event came to be.

“We started that event, because we wanted to do a fundraiser for the Okmulgee Public School system,” he said. “The first year ,we were raising money to start a media department so they could do their Facebook Lives and have all of the equipment and everything that they needed and we were able to do that. We raised like $4,500 bucks the first year.”

DodgeBrawl teams consist of ten members with at least two women being a part of each team. “Everybody gets to play three games at least and it’s just a lot of fun. You know, you get your bankers, you get your car salesman and just all of the smaller local businesses around town,” Neal said. “We get the school involved and the school had three teams in it this year …We were raising really good money for the schools … But we’re getting community together. And we’re playing, you know, we’re just like little kids for a night…”

The funds raised are distributed as grants to teachers and staff.

“Leading up to the event, we sent out emails to every teacher in the public school system,” Neal said. “Just tell us what you need for your classrooms. Neal’s orders it all in, and then we take all of the supplies up to the gym, and we get all the teachers together that got the grant requests and we take a picture and they take the materials and go back to their classrooms.” Lots of requests are submitted, including last year when $26,000 worth, but only so many can be funded.

So the more teams, the more money can be raised! For additional information, call the Neal’s Homestore and see their Facebook page.