Nearly half of the students at Rainier High School qualify for the free lunch program, which means they don’t have a lot of extra money for athletic shoes or other equipment if they want to participate in sports.

But Rainier High School alum Loyed Rea, along with Bob Hansen and school board member Chad Womack, hope to ease the financial burden of student-athletes each year with the formation of the Rainier Alumni Athletic Support Fund.

“This says a lot about our community,” Rainier athletic director Mark Bernhardt said. “Loyed graduated some 50 years ago and he still wants to be a part of it. A lot of people leave after they graduate and never come back, while others like him are Columbians for life.”

Bernhardt noted the group doesn’t want to give the school money, but rather purchase shoes and uniforms for the athletes.

“We have a lot of proud kids who don’t like to ask for assistance,” he said. “They tape up their shoes and play, and I really admire that because they love to play.”

This year, student-athletes at the high school pay $125 per sport, Families pay $500 for the school year if they have more than one student-athlete participating. At the middle school, Rainier students pay $50 per sport. These fees don’t include shoes, socks and undergarments.

“It’s hard to say exactly how much money is needed because it’s an ever-changing amount that seems to be growing,” Bernhardt said. “Right now, there’s also a non-sports related need for winter coats, but some athletes are affected by this.”

Bernhardt hopes the group can raise enough money to get basketball shoes for the boys’ and girls’ varsity teams this year, and eventually have enough funds to outfit the junior varsity and junior high teams.

“Eventually, we’d like to be able to have the kids get warm-ups at a reduced cost so they can keep them and wear them after the season,” he said. “They can show pride in their school by wearing the school colors.”

Bernhardt also hopes to form a booster or alumni wall in or near the gym, which lists the names of those who donate to the fund.

An account has been established at the Lower Columbia Longshoremen’s Federal Credit Union for donations. Individuals can also send donations to the high school, or to: Loyed Rea, 1965 West Side Highway No. 84, Kelso, Wash. 98626.

Rea also wants to assemble a book of all former athletes who donate to the fund, and wants donors to include a photo of themselves along with a short biography of their high school exploits.

For additional details about the fund or to donate, call Womack at (503) 556-3739, Hansen at (503) 556-0071 or Rea at 636-0071.