LOWER LAKE >> Coach Chris Emberson knows the value of a good pitcher, a good shortstop and a middle of the order that can really pound the ball. Even more valuable is having an entire community, county and region behind you when disaster strikes.
When the Clayton Fire roared through Lower Lake on Aug. 13-14, burning down close to 200 single-family homes and many downtown businesses in this small town, it also razed the storage shed for Emberson’s Lower Lake High School softball team, claiming every piece of equipment and just about everything else the high school and middle school teams owned outside of a few game jerseys stored elsewhere. The total loss was more than $23,000.
Less than a month later, Emberson said donations from individuals, groups, clubs, businesses, schools and sports teams, from high school to pro, have nearly replaced everything lost.
“I’m still receiving checks and I’ve heard a few more are on the way and one of them could be pretty big,” Emberson said on Tuesday afternoon.
During the Labor Day holiday on Monday, the Trojans pulled $1,728 closer to their goal following the Tip A Jock fundraiser sponsored by the Main Street Bar and Grill on Lakeshore Drive in Clearlake.
“One of my former players (Raelynn Scott) works there and it was her idea,” Emberson said. “I really want to thank Main Street Bar and Grill for doing it. It was a nice gesture on their part and a big success.”
Also last week the Lake Count Adult Softball Association presented Emberson with a check for $500.
Checks for as little as $10 to much higher amounts have been received by Emberson. The money is deposited into a softball account managed by the Lower Lake Boosters so that it will be spent on the softball team.
“They have accounts for all the different sports teams at the school as well as a general account,” Emberson said.
The softball team also has received equipment donations, including pitching machines, according to Emberson, who is amazed by how much support the team has received in such a short period of time.
“Our community has been great to us and so have others from outside the area,” Emberson said. “And we’re still receiving offers of help.”
Emberson is awaiting word on how much of the lost equipment will be replaced by the school’s insurance, but he believes it will be a favorable settlement.
“We’re getting close to replacing everything and I want to thank the community and everyone who helped us out,” Emberson said. “The support has been unbelievable and I can’t say thank you enough.”
If the team ends up with more money than it needs to replace everything lost in the fire, Emberson said the excess amount will be held in the Booster Club’s softball account.
“That will give us the flexibility of buying equipment when we need it,” Emberson said of a situation that almost never happens in the financially strapped world of underfunded public high school sports programs.
