West Walton Booster Club Hopes to Regroup after Controversy

The arrest last year of the club president, and subsequent suicide of a park coordinator, threw West Walton Football and Cheerleading Booster club into disarray. Tonight it hopes to get back on track in time for the new season.

There will be a booster club meeting for the West Walton Football and Cheerleading Club at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, July 23, at Meridian Park in Loganville to elect new officers.

“It is very important this year that we select strong board members to continue the mission of supporting the kids,” said Crystal Carter, the only remaining member of the club. “We have a lot of growing and repairing to do.”

Carter said it is important that parents attend and choose new members so the club can start off on the right foot. Everything fell apart last year when the former president of the club, , was arrested and charged with financial misconduct. She was   a second time after she allegedly tried to pass herself off a representative of the club in December in an attempt to obtain $5,000 worth of toys from Toys for Tots. This drew strong reaction from the community with many critical of a system that allowed it to happen in the first place. The controversy was further exasperated with the death of , long-time coordinator of West Walton Park. Although Temple was not charged in the original fraud case, he was moved to another park location after Dowell's arrest in November. .

Although she was the whistleblower that alerted officials to the financial misconduct, Carter felt she was the one held responsible in many instances. However, she said the most important thing for her always has been the children, which is why she feels this meeting is so important.

“I hope to fill all four open seats of the booster club with members who will work hard to repair and rebuild the booster clubs relationship with the community and provide amazing things for our youth,” Carter said. “The more volunteers and support this booster club receives the better off the children in this program will be. In the past, this booster club has done amazing things for the football/cheer program and with the right people on the board and community support it will again provide amazing things. I hope to see all parents on Monday night at the meeting.”