It’s possible that not everyone who has played Parkland sports knows how much the Parkland Trojan Alumni Club has done to help Trojan athletics over the years. In fact, the club probably had an impact on many athletes even before they reached high school. And its impact continues for many after they leave high school.

The club was founded in the early 1950s and has done everything from helping build playgrounds around the school district to assisting with facility upgrades, uniforms, equipment and awards. The club helps varsity sports as well as club sports like ice hockey.

The club might be most well-known for its support of athletes through annual scholarships it awards to Trojan athletes who are going on to post-graduation education.

None of that is new. The club has been doing its thing for 70 years and plans to keep going for years and years to come.

“Here are people who have played athletics and represented Parkland,” said Parkland volleyball head coach Mike Krause, a state championship-winning coach who has been around Trojan sports for the past 20 years. “They are modeling what it is to be a Parkland High School athlete. They’ve got such a passion for the school.”

The Parkland Trojan Alumni Club will soon celebrate its first meeting, which took place on Sept. 27, 1951.

The club was established for the purpose of promoting and encouraging, participating and support of extracurricular athletic activities for boys and girls in the Parkland School District. It establishes and provides educational scholarships for student-athletes, advances the social and physical improvement of all students, provides support for various school-related activities and promotes camaraderie for all Parkland School District athletes and friends.

The club membership consists of varsity letter winners and any person interested in supporting Parkland athletics. The club meets monthly and hosts speakers to update members on various athletic programs. In the past, the club has had many coaches, referees, school administrators and student-athletes speak.

Krause said his volleyball team’s invitations have been greatly appreciated.

“It helps the girls feel value,” he said. “It helped them understand Parkland pride.”

The club has supported the Parkland community in many ways. It has helped purchase equipment and trophies, sponsored athletic dinners, donated moneys toward installation of the artificial turf on the soccer field and supported Parkland athletic clubs.

In recent years, the club has extended its support to include the Parkland C.A.R.E.S. food pantry by offering time and resources to help its effort to feed Parkland families.

In 2012 the club erected a permanent alumni memorial monument at the high school. The project was a “Salute to Athletes – Past, Present and Future.” The flat brick surface provides an opportunity for individuals or businesses to sponsor a brick to honor a Parkland athlete.

In 1964 the club started the Art Haldeman Scholarship program. An annual scholarship of $200 was awarded to a Parkland varsity letter-winning athlete to aid in his or her postgraduate education.

Over the years the program has grown to allow the club to award three scholarships annually. The Marlyn Burkhardt Scholarship and the Richard and Dalton Schaadt Memorial Education Scholarship were added to the list to bring the total to three. All of them now award $2500 to a senior athlete upon completion of his or her first semester in a continuing education program.

The club will celebrate its 70th anniversary on Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021 at Iron Lakes Country Club.

The club invites former members and previous scholarship winners to join in the celebration of its milestone.

Anyone interested in attending the banquet can contact club secretary Charlene Miller (610-704-7251 or charli50@rcn.com).

For more information about the club and the 70th anniversary celebration, see the club’s website at parklandtrojanalumnivarsityclub.com.