Varsity Spirit, the leader in cheerleading and dance, has wrapped up another year of robust fundraising and community involvement in 2018. Varsity Spirit promotes giving back and community involvement through a wide variety of programs and provides cheer and dance teams and coaches opportunities to get involved and give back to their local communities. The efforts have also extended to include initiatives by parent company Varsity Brands, the market leader in sport, spirit and achievement headquartered in Dallas, Tex. Notably, the company’s fundraising for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which is also based in Memphis, now totals more than $6.5 million since 2011.
The Team Up for St. Jude Spirited by Varsity letter writing campaign harnesses the giving power of 350,000 teens attending annual cheer and dance camps, with each attendee writing letters asking their friends and family to donate to St. Jude. Varsity Spirit also inspires giving through the St. Jude Game Day campaign; urging schools across the country to show their spirit and turn their football or basketball games into fundraising opportunities. In 2018, more than 100 Varsity Spirit employees also accepted the challenge of donating a portion of each paycheck, raising an additional $30,000 as part of scheduled revenue for the hospital. In all, the company raised $1.4 million in 2018 alone.
“Varsity Spirit is honored to motivate and engage our athletes and coaches on behalf of causes like St. Jude and many others. We are incredibly proud of the cheerleaders and dancers that get involved each year and give back to their communities,” said Bill Seely, president of Varsity Spirit. “Their remarkable efforts illustrate the power they have to make a difference in the lives of others.”
Varsity Spirit continues to serve as the official training sponsor of The Sparkle Effect, which helps schools create and train cheerleading and dance teams that bring together students with and without disabilities. Since its founding in 2009, The Sparkle Effect has trained more than 10,000 students at 200 schools in 31 states, and is the only program of its kind to provide training free of cost to participants.
The company is also a proud supporter of breast cancer research, and serves as the Finish Line sponsor of the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk. Their annual donation includes proceeds from their “Let’s Go Pink” line of pink accessories and uniforms as well as their Real Men Wear Pink campaign, which together have raised more than $120,000 for the American Cancer Society in six years.
Varsity Spirit launched National School Spirit Day in 2009 as a way to encourage cheerleaders and dancers to participate in community service projects. It has since become the kickoff of the Varsity Brands School Spirit Awards, which gave more than $100,000 to schools across the country in 2018, recognizing students, athletes, faculty and administrators who strive to foster school pride, student engagement and community spirit. A recent study by Varsity Brands, parent company of Varsity Spirit, revealed that students with higher levels of spirit perform better academically, are more engaged and involved, and feel more connected to their school and community.
A division of Varsity Brands, Varsity Spirit is a leader in uniform innovation and educational camps, clinics and competitions, impacting nearly a million athletes each year. Focused on safety, entertainment and traditional school leadership, Varsity Spirit’s 5,000 employees have been helping raise cheerleading’s influence and profile since 1974.
