SCHOOL LAPS AND LAYUPS FUNDRAISER SEEKS SPONSORS.
“Plant City Christian Academy (PCCA) is just special,” Tiffany Lewis, vice president of Ways and Means for the Parent Teacher Association (PTA), said. “There is a sense of community there we have never experienced at any of the other schools my kids have attended. The teachers are like an extension of your family.”
The school, “Promotes academic excellence on the foundation of Christ. Through the lens of the Christian worldview, students will be academically challenged and encouraged to become their very best. Serving students pre-K through 12th grade, PCCA’s mission is to provide an inviting and invigorating educational experience for Plant City and the surrounding areas.”
PCCA opened in 2023-2024 at the prior First Baptist Church campus on the corner of N. Collins St. and E. Herring St. with a pilot program of 23 students in kindergarten to fifth grade. It has continued to add staff and students. Now the enrollment is 264 K-12 students. There are 184 elementary students and 80 middle and high schoolers. The student to teacher ratio is 11 to one.
PCCA offers math, science, English, foreign languages, Bible classes, and a chapel. One of the mindsets of the school is to get high schoolers real world experience in things like robotics, 3-D printing, and practical hands-on skills to introduce them to the world of work. One section of the building has been newly converted into a science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) wing for middle school and high school classes. The school is accredited by the Middle States Association, one of the most prestigious accrediting agencies in the U.S.
The next step for PCCA is to be intentional about adding fitness education for students. To that end, the school is aiming to build a gymnasium large enough to contain a full basketball court. The first step this year is to replace a parking lot to the northeast of the school building with a sports court. In the near future, the school also intends to add competitive sports teams.
To underwrite construction costs, PCCA is putting on its first annual Laps & Layups Fundraising Sport-A-Thon. “We are hoping that we can get community sponsors; people to rally with us to support the project,” Lewis said. “The kids are going to run laps for money. Parents, grandparents, or a business can sponsor them.” For example, a student could be sponsored for $2 for every lap she or he runs, or every layup they make; or the support for the project could be set at $5 or $10 for each accomplishment. Four track courses will be set up for lap runs, and four hoops will be set up on blocked streets. A Kona Ice truck has been booked. There will also be a couple of food trucks and other vendors at the event.
“The goal is to raise money for the first phase,” Lewis said. “It is going to be a three-phase project. The first phase is just to get the court there. Our goal is $175,000. That is basically going to take care of the permitting and the concrete foundation for the basketball court. Phase three will be the walls and everything else for the sports center. Being a new school, and a private school, the funds for this have to come from fundraising.”
Since this is a school-wide event, parents, families, and students will be there. Tiered sponsorships are available, for example, the Presenting Sponsor is $5,000 and gets an event banner, acknowledgement at the event, name and business logos on free t-shirts, and all promotional materials. A space will also be set up where representatives can promote their company. Additional tiers also come with promotional benefits.
• Platinum Sponsorship is $1,500
• Gold Sponsorship is $750
• Silver Sponsorship is $350
• Track sponsorships (four) for $250 each
• Basketball hoop sponsorships (four) for $250 each
The Laps & Layups Fundraising Sport-A-Thon will be held on Friday September 19. The lap and layup start times will vary by grade and will be announced.
For more information, contact Tiffany Lewis at (813) 763-2595, or Mindy Timian at (813) 300-6391.
