Gulf Coast Athletic Club grows members, increases donations, and establishes a foundation

Gulf Coast Athletic Club grows members, increases donations, and establishes a foundation
Scarbinsky, Sherrill, Campbell, Ward, Goff, Riggins scheduled to address group at Craft Farms

The Gulf Coast Athletic Club is experiencing a resurgence in membership and has recently taken several steps to increase its fundraising efforts.
With 103 members representing 26 college teams, GCAC experienced record membership levels in 2015, and is on track to exceed that number this year. Membership increased from 80 members in 2013.
“Our fun atmosphere and exciting speaker line-up is attracting more interest,” said David DeMeyer, membership chair. Club dues are $200 for eight meetings, which includes cocktail hour, dinner, team reports, updates from Gulf Shores High School and a guest speaker.
The 14th Annual GCAC Golf Tournament held in June was a major success thanks to strong sponsor support and tremendous participation.
“We had a great turnout and raised over $20,000 which will go toward supporting the high school athletic department and funding scholarships,” said Fred Dickerson, co-chair of the tournament.
“We appreciate those who participated and especially our sponsors who made the tournament such a success,” said tourney co-chair John McCormick.
In May, the club awarded $7,000 in scholarships to male and female Scholar Athletes of the Year from Gulf Shores High School. The recipients were Taylor Brown and Ishan Patel. The two students were chosen from a field of eight, who along with their parents, were honored at last year’s GCAC meetings.
The Club also launched the Gulf Coast Athletic Club Foundation, a charitable organization. All donations to the Foundation are tax deductible.
“We have seen an uptick in donations this year which will allow us to maximize our impact through continued support of local youth athletics and proving scholarships to student athletes,’’ said Foundation President David Lee. “The tax deductibility of donations makes the Foundation a great option for anyone wanting to support our student athletes.’’
Donations to the Gulf Coast Athletic Club Foundation can be sent to P.O. Box 5281 Gulf Shores, Alabama, 36547. For information on joining the Gulf Coast Athletic Club, go tgulfcoastathleticclub.com or email David DeMeyer at david.d.demeyer@gmail.com. Pictured: (L to R) Gulf Coast Athletic Club scheduled 2016 speakers include Jackie Sherrill, Quintin Riggins, Jason Campbell, Charlie Ward & Kevin Scarbinsky.

2016 Gulf Coast Athletic Club Speakers

Sept. 12: Quentin Riggins, Auburn LB. Team Captain, All-American (88’ & 89’), 3x SEC Champion.
Sept. 26: Kevin Scarbinsky. Lead sports columnist for Alabama Media Group (AL.com, Mobile Press-Register, The Birmingham News, and The Huntsville Times) and talk show host.
Oct. 10: Jason Campbell, Auburn QB. Gatorade Player of the Year (99’), SEC Player of the Year (04’), NFL 1st Round Draft (05’), 10-year NFL career.
Oct. 24: Coach Jackie Sherrill, Championships in 62’ & 65’ as a player at Alabama under Bear Bryant; Head Coach at Washington State (76’), Pittsburg (77’-81’), Texas A&M (82’-88’), and Mississippi State (91’-03’).
Nov. 7: Charlie Ward, Florida State QB. Heisman Trophy Winner (93’), All-American (93’), College Football Hall of Fame (06’), NBA 1st Round Pick (94’), 11-year NBA career.
Nov. 21: Coach Ray Goff. SEC Player of the Year (76’) under Vince Dooley at Georgia; Coached at the University of Georgia from 1981 to 1995 (Head Coach: 88’-95’)
Jan. 23: Reece’s Senior Bowl & BCS Meeting.
GCAC meetings start with social time followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m. and the program at 7 p.m. Annual membership is $200, which includes dinner. Non-members may attend meetings for $30. For membership info, contact David DeMeyer at David.d.DeMeyer@gmail.com or Taylor Means at Taylor.Means@gmail.com. Club info can also be found at gcathleticclub.com GCAC is a non-profit social organization supporting Gulf Shores athletic programs by providing equipment, supplies and scholarships. Since 1999, the GCAC has provided more than $150,000 in benefits to our local youth & athletic programs.