Rooted in Faith | STM Booster Club, also known as “da best club”

Rooted in Faith | STM Booster Club, also known as “da best club”

There is a saying that goes, "When you answer the call, God multiplies the effort." That is exactly the story of the St. Thomas More Booster Club. What started as a desire to support our student athletes has grown into something far greater, a movement rooted in faith, fellowship, and selfless service. This past year alone, our Booster Club raised over $70,000, pouring those resources back into the hearts and hands of our kids. New uniforms. Upgraded facilities. Teacher bonuses. Field Day. Tournaments. And so much more. But numbers only tell part of the story.

The real story is in the people who showed up, Saturday after Saturday, event after event not because they had to, but because they felt called to. And no one embodies that calling more than Ray Clarke and Mindy Brown Clarke.

For years, Ray and Mindy have been the heartbeat of the STM Booster Club. While most families were traveling to the games, Ray and MIndy were already there. Setting up, coaching, running concessions, and making sure every child, every athlete, and every family felt valued. It is quite possible Ray and/or Mindy was at STM every single Saturday this year. Not for recognition. Not for applause. But because that is simply who they are, faithful parishoners who answered the call and never looked back.

Under Ray's leadership, the Booster Club became a self-sustaining club, returning over $200,000 back into STM, touching not just athletics, but classrooms, arts, theater, and the teachers who show up every day for our students. Ray leaned into the greater Kansas City community, building meaningful sponsorships that allowed the Booster Club to dream bigger and reach further than ever before. He understood that fellowship is not just a word, it is the foundation of everything St. Thomas More stands for.

As Ray steps back from the forefront of Booster Club leadership, we do not say goodbye, we say thank you. Thank you for the countless nights and weekends you gave freely. Thank you for investing in our children the way you would your own. Thank you for showing our kids what it looks like to live your faith out loud, in the gym, on the field, and in the community.

Ray and Mindy Clarke, you answered the call, and STM is forever better for it. To our Booster Club families, sponsors, and every parent who showed up this year, you are the reason this community is so special. Keep showing up. Keep building. Keep believing. Because when we are rooted in faith there is no limit to what God can do through us.