In our community, there are few things more important than fostering our local youth athletes.
Since 2013, the Harrisburg Weightlifting Club, a Non-Profit IRC 501(c)(3), through the Olympic sport of Weightlifting, has provided students between the ages of 6 and 17, a safe place to get physically active, make connections with their peers, and earn college scholarships. The sport teaches them discipline, gives them self-confidence, and shows them that hard work pays off.
However, we wouldn’t be able to keep serving our team of young athletes without the support of valuable partners. Coaching fees, recreational program funding, gym dues, and travel expenses add up in a significant way. We never want a single athlete to miss out on an opportunity to participate in this amazing Olympic sport.
As a donor you would be a critical asset for athletes developing their talents. Your financial contributions help them meet and exceed goals – so that one day they may go to college, or even participate in the Olympics and become exceptional leaders in the community – because of you.
Becoming a sponsor is the first step in building dreams that come to fruition. Every donation will help fund expenses for athletes in the Harrisburg Weightlifting Club program.
Sponsorship opportunities include:
GOLD Sponsor - $4,000*
Corporate logo on Club Website for 1 year
Corporate logo in our Training Facility for 1 year
Corporate tag on all Social Media Assets for 1 year
Opportunity to meet the young athletes at a competition
10 tickets to our next annual HWC Lift-A-Thon in Honor of Coach Jerry C. Arline, Sr.
Opportunity for company representative to speak during the next annual HWC Lift-A-Thon in Honor of Coach Jerry C. Arline, Sr.
Corporate logo featured at the next annual HWC Lift-A-Thon in Honor of Coach Jerry C. Arline, Sr.
Silver Sponsor - $1,500*
Corporate logo on Club Website for 1 year
Corporate logo in our Training Facility for 1 year
Corporate tag on all Social Media Assets for 1 year
Opportunity to meet the young athletes at a competition
5 tickets to our next annual HWC Lift-A-Thon in Honor of Coach Jerry C. Arline, Sr.
Corporate logo featured at the next annual HWC Lift-A-Thon in Honor of Coach Jerry C. Arline, Sr.
Bronze Sponsor - $500*
Corporate logo on Club Website for 1 year
Corporate logo in our Training Facility for 1 year
Corporate tag on all Social Media Assets for 1 year
Corporate logo featured at the next annual HWC Lift-A-Thon in Honor of Coach Jerry C. Arline, Sr.
*Sponsorship amounts may be negotiated to include products/services when/if applicable.
Coaching fees, gym dues, and travel expenses add up quite a bit. On average, expenses for an athlete in the sport of Weightlifting run $6,000 per year, or $500/month. You can help these athletes cover those expenses.
DONATE NOW WITH YOUR PREFERRED AMOUNT
Why should you support these young athletes? As a donor for the Harrisburg Weightlifting Club, you will have the opportunity to take part in completely changing the life of a youth athlete. This wonderful sport completely changed the life of HWC Head Coach, Dan Rose, and he has seen it change the lives of countless others. While he did not make the Olympic Team, the sport, combined with the selflessness of his Coach, Jerry C Arline Sr, gave him an outlet at the age of 15 that helped him choose a different path, other than the destructive one he was on. He is still following that path, and honoring his Coach’s legacy today, through the HWC.
Not only Coach Dan, but so many others have changed their lives and set new pathways after finding Weightlifting. Ava Oteri is a shining example of this. She began the HWC program in 2013, at the age of 10. Her story is below.
AVA’s STORY
It was an afternoon in February. I had just gotten home from the gym, the place where I have spent countless hours every day over the past eight years. A few days before that, I had tried out for the ETSU Olympic weightlifting team. Making this team had been my dream for quite a while and quite frankly, making the scholarship team was my only way of going to college and I knew that, which is why I made the decision at just 15 years old, I was going to work my hardest to make the team when the time came for college.
Back to that afternoon after try-outs. I was winding down from my workout that afternoon, showering and making myself dinner. I had been anxiously waiting for an email from the team telling me if I made it or not. At the time, that email was not on my mind. I had to force myself not to think about it, not to be stressed. I knew it would come when it was time. I sat at the table and started eating, scrolling through social media as someone my age does while at the table. Then I got an email. I see the name on the email, nothing else but my heart drops. I close my eyes, take a breath, and open the email. I carefully read it and slowly start to get the most excited I have ever been. I made the team, and got a full tuition scholarship. My family was not home so I instantly called my mom and told her. She is beyond proud of me. I end the call with my mom and grab my keys. I head to my gym to tell my coach, who has been like a father to me since I met him when I was just 10 years old.
I walk into the gym, tears in my eyes and instantly hug him and tell everyone the news. They were all so happy for me. The support from my “gym family” was overwhelming. I had finally achieved what I had been working so hard to get. I realized all the stressful days where I thought nothing was going my way, the days where my lifting was not where it should be, all the tears of happiness and sadness had paid off. 8 years of struggling and winning, years of not believing in myself, it was all worth it. At that moment, nothing else mattered.
Looking back, I struggled more than most people knew. At 15, my parents got divorced and weightlifting was the only thing that really kept me going. From having my best competitions, to everything going as bad as possible, I never quit. I may have thought about it from time to time, but I always stuck with it because there were so many people doubting me and I was never going to prove them right. I did everything in my power to prove them wrong.
Without that motivation, and my coach always pushing me, I would not be where I am today. I would not be the strong, confident, and independent woman I am. Being put through everything I was at such a young age taught me that I can do anything that I put my mind to. My life might have not been like most, definitely not all happiness and joy, but it made me who I am and I cannot be more grateful for where I am today. When you think about it, it is crazy that someone at 10 years old would already know what they wanted to do with their life, and at 15 know the work that was ahead to get there, but I sure did and I would not go back and do anything differently. The feeling I get when lifting is like no other. The satisfaction from progressing, the adrenaline while competing is something I cannot explain. It brings me utter joy to do the things I do, and show people my passion for it. I would choose no other sport than the sport of Olympic Weightlifting. I owe just about everything I am to the sport.
Ava is the 2017 Youth National Champion, and won the Bronze Medal at the 2021 Junior National Championships. She is currently a Freshman Scholarship Athlete on the East Tennessee State University Weightlifting Team where she is majoring in Kinesiology. She is an Assistant Coach at the Harrisburg Weightlifting Club, where she is certified by USA Weightlifting, the governing body for the Olympic sport of Weightlifting in the United States. During her 8 years in the HWC program, she competed 39 times, 10 times on the USA Weightlifting National stage in Youth Nationals, Junior Nationals, and American Open Finals. She is a 4x NC State Champion.
She started her journey in Elementary School, and now continues her journey in College.
DONATE NOW WITH YOUR PREFERRED AMOUNT
The mission of Harrisburg Weightlifting Club is to provide students between the ages of 6 and 17 years old a safe place to get physically active, make connections with their peers, chase their dreams of competing in The Olympic Games, and earn college scholarships through the sport of Olympic Weightlifting.
Youth athletes not comfortable with team sports see Weightlifting as an individual sport, but done in a structured, supportive team-like atmosphere. In Weightlifting, everyone gets to participate. No one sits on a bench. Anyone wanting to compete will be given that opportunity to as part of the Harrisburg Weightlifting Club.
Weightlifting can be a lifelong sport, offering competitive opportunities on the Local, National, and International levels (across all age groups).
The Harrisburg Weightlifting Club was the very first USA Weightlifting Club in the Charlotte, NC Area. Founded by Head Coach and Board Director Daniel Rose, he has coached a Youth World Championships Team Member, a University World Champion, a FISU America Games Silver Medalist, 12 USA National Champions (3 of whom were Youth athletes), and multiple National medalists and State Champions since founding the Club in 2013.
HWC is the longest-running and most successful Weightlifting Club team in North Carolina by the numbers, and the only Club to have a primary focus on youth. The HWC Youth team makes up approximately 70% of the entire team roster. The organization has 14 certified coaches on staff, all of whom are unpaid volunteers. The HWC is a well-established organization that provides competitive Weightlifting training and general physical fitness activities for youth athletes.
Physically located along the Greater Charlotte, NC and rural Cabarrus County, NC area, our gym provides organized fitness opportunities to a range of underserved youth populations. The HWC has outreach for elementary school, middle school, and high school athletes in the Greater Charlotte, NC region, along with the rural areas in Cabarrus County, NC.
We primarily serve the areas near University City in Charlotte, the Greater Charlotte NC region, and the rural areas in Cabarrus County, NC. US Census Data from 2020 shows the median income for our area was $57,371, with 5.4% of the population living in poverty. The largest race/ethnical groups are Black (41.2%), followed by White (35.9%), and Asian (13.5%). The overall population our organization serves is as follows: Asian 20%, Black or African American 20%, Hispanic or Latino 25%, White, Non-Hispanic 35%. Our organization’s staff is also very diverse: Asian 8%, Black or African American 8%, Hispanic or Latino 18%, White, Non-Hispanic 66%, Female 42%, Male 58%.
HWC athletes have competed in and won titles at multiple State Championships, National Championships, and even stood on podiums at World Championships – enjoying great opportunities to travel the country and the world to represent our community and achieve sporting excellence.
The Harrisburg Weightlifting Club is dedicated to providing more Weightlifting opportunities to all Youth in our area, teaching them discipline, giving them self-confidence, creating healthy lifestyle habits, and showing them that hard work pays off. For consecutive years, HWC athletes have earned full-tuition scholarships to compete for collegiate Weightlifting teams. The sport of Weightlifting is a definite avenue for young members of our community to pursue higher education and further their disciplined path as a competitive athlete – and since 2013, the HWC is an established path to such opportunities.
Be that as it may, we will not be able to keep serving said youth without financial contributions. The cost for participation in competitive Weightlifting can total up to $6,000 a year – which
includes coaching fees, gym/facilities dues, equipment and uniform costs, recreational program funding, competition travel and registration expenses and USAW Membership fees. The Harrisburg Weightlifting Club is seeking funds to support an even broader population of underserved youth within our community. We never want a single athlete to miss out on an opportunity to participate in Olympic Weightlifting, chase their dreams, or become healthier and more self-confident due to financial hardships.
While the coaching, programming, and positive culture of the Harrisburg Weightlifting Club proves, year after year, to qualify youth athletes to compete at the highest National and even
International levels, financial factors often deter HWC athletes from participating and experiencing legitimately-earned competitive opportunities. Each year, the HWC Competition Schedule comprises of local, regional, and National tournaments. Competitive results on the National Stage are sometimes rewarded with very prestigious invitations for athletes represent Team USA in international competitions. Of course, HWC wants to support each athlete’s competitive journey at every possible level, and financial contributions alleviate the largest barriers to success with our program.
Our annual fundraising event, the Annual Jerry C. Arline, Sr. Memorial The Lift-A-Thon, takes place at our gym every year. Not only is this community event a memorial tribute to Coach Jerry C. Arline, Sr., the cornerstone of the Harrisburg Weightlifting Club, it also serves as the greatest opportunity to raise funds to support the HWC as the team prepares to compete at the USA Weightlifting National Championships in Colorado Springs, CO later this summer. The Lift-A-Thon event is a friendly competition among members of our local strength community. Other fun festivities and activities during the heavy lifting session is a wonderful opportunity for local businesses to showcase their offerings and bring our local neighbors together. This fundraiser will help offset athlete expenses for the National Championships and beyond.
Factors, such as athlete retention and advancement, demonstrate the measured success and effectiveness of our program. We expect at least 8 out of 10 new weightlifters to train consistently for at least 2 years. We expect at least 4 out of those 8 athletes to progress from the Local competition level to the National competition level. We expect at least 2 of those 4 to reach medal-winning status on the National stage.
Our long-term strategies include working with corporate sponsors, community giving, volunteers, and continued partnership with the Harrisburg, NC Parks and Recreation Department
– which helps facilitate the Harrisburg Youth Weightlifting Recreation Program. The HWC’s established partnership with Harrisburg Parks and Rec allows a wider range of youth athletes, from very diverse backgrounds (private, public, and homeschool children), to try the sport in a structured environment with minimal barrier of entry. So far, each session has filled registrations within the first day of session registrations opening. With the program’s 2 sessions taking place every year, we expect continued program growth and athlete retention.
It is our mission, at Harrisburg Weightlifting Club, to provide certified coaching in proper, age- appropriate lifting techniques, general physical fitness activities, organized competition opportunities, mentorships, support systems to help our Youth follow their dreams, and very likely incorporate health and fitness into their lives. We look forward to answering any questions you may have, and greatly appreciate your time and attention to our program.
For more information, please contact the Harrisburg Weightlifting Club at 704-345-0895 or email harrisburgweightlifting@gmail.com
