Contact:  John Johnson or Andy Frushour 
517.332.5046 or [email protected]

EAST LANSING, Mich.  – Sept. 28 –  During the 2009-10 school year, the Michigan High School Athletic Association will once again be awarding sportsmanship mini-grants through its partnership with the MEEMIC Insurance Company.

The pool of grant dollars available to MHSAA member schools has been raised to $15,000, and in the first month of the new school year, nearly $6,000 in grants have been already distributed to the following schools, leagues and conferences:  Bangor Public Schools, Burton Atherton High School, Cheboygan High School, Clinton Township Chippewa Valley High School, Detroit Community High School, Genesee Junior-Senior High School, Lawton Community Schools, Monroe Public Schools, Montague High School, Rockford High School, the Saginaw Valley High School Association, Schoolcraft High School, the St. Joseph Valley League, Wakefield-Marenisco School District, and the Wolverine Conference.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for schools to take advantage of MEEMIC’s commitment to sportsmanship in educational athletics,” said Andy Frushour, the MHSAA’s Marketing and Special Programs Director.  “MEEMIC and the MHSAA believe that the most effective sportsmanship efforts are the most local, and we encourage schools to  think about what they can do that is new and innovative to promote sportsmanship, and then let us help fund that local program.”

Frushour added that schools are encouraged to consider the following types of efforts in building grant-worthy programs:
•  Programs and materials for junior high/middle school students and faculty;
•  Programs and materials for high school team captains;
•  Programs and materials for high school student cheering sections;
•  Programs and materials for spectators; and
•  Programs for leagues & conferences.

Applications are available (Word | PDF) on the sportsmanship page of MHSAA.com.  Mini-grants ranging from $50 to $750 will be distributed throughout the year, and they can be approved immediately. There is no deadline for receiving applications. Applications for mini-grants will be accepted as long as funding is available, and are generally approved with funds being disbursed within 45 days.

The MHSAA is a private, not-for-profit corporation of voluntary membership by over 1,600 public and private senior high schools and junior high/middle schools which exists to develop common rules for athletic eligibility and competition.  No government funds or tax dollars support the MHSAA, which was the first such association nationally to not accept membership dues or tournament entry fees from schools.  Member schools which enforce these rules are permitted to participate in MHSAA tournaments, which attract approximately 1.6 million spectators each year.

MEEMIC Insurance Company, with headquarters in Auburn Hills, writes full coverage private passenger automobile protection and homeowners insurance for educational employees and their immediate families in the state of Michigan.  MEEMIC was founded by teachers for teachers in 1950. Most representatives of the company are or were teachers themselves.  MEEMIC's history of competitive pricing and a commitment to superior service has cultivated a tradition of teachers serving teachers and their families, the “MEEMIC Club.”

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Farm Bureau Insurance, Farmers Insurance, MEEMIC Insurance Company & Meijer are year-round MHSAA Corporate Partners