(Audubon, Iowa) – Officials with the Audubon Community School District are pleased to announce that beginning this month (August, 2024) all Kindergarten through 12th grade students in Audubon Community schools will receive free activity tickets thanks to generous donations from AMVC, Audubon State Bank, and Dr. Daryl and Nancy Olsen. This is a three-year initiative of the school board, modeled after several other area schools. It was an easy sell for the school board according to President Mark Nissen, “This is a win-win for all involved. All our students will benefit from having an easier time getting to games. Our athletes will appreciate having more support from their classmates. And of course it makes attending events easier for our families to afford. Overall, it continues to bring our community together and we’re excited to see it happen.” Ultimately, however, the money from ticket sales is used to pay for the costs of hosting home events, most notably referees and umpires, an expense that continues to rise. “That’s the only downfall” says Nissen, “we don’t want to be in a situation where we’re letting people in free but can’t pay our expenses.” That’s where Dr. Daryl Olsen stepped in. Originally the board planned on holding a fundraiser to offset the costs of activity tickets and approached Dr. Olsen about supporting the effort with seed money. When Dr. Olsen shared the idea with his wife Nancy, she was immediately sold.

However, the Olsen’s opted not to provide seed money for a fundraiser. Instead, Dr. Olsen reached out and solicited support from AMVC and Audubon State Bank, two local businesses he’s directly involved in. Together, Dr. Daryl & Nancy Olsen, AMVC, and Audubon State Bank, have pledged to cover the costs of student activity tickets for the next three school years. “We’ve been fortunate to build a life here in Audubon, along with a business. We raised our kids here. We’re passionate about giving back, and supporting a program that clearly and directly benefits the kids and community is exciting,” says Dr. Olsen. Currently, the value of this donation is estimated at $45,000 over the course of the three-year commitment ($15,000 per year). “Unfortunately, the data over the past 10 years of ticket sales isn’t great,” states athletic director Sean Birks. “Especially with the covid years and cash ticketing, we don’t have a super accurate idea of student vs. adult ticket sales. However, now that the district has moved to the electronic ticketing system (Bound), we’ll be able to get really clear data on how many students attend games.” The school board has also made a commitment to track data over the course of the next three years, not just for the purposes of this donation, but also for future decision making. “It’s our hope that in three years the school board will have better data to look at when reevaluating this initiative. Having a three-year commitment gives us an opportunity other schools (attempting free student admission) don’t have. We get to track data and be thoughtful in our planning” states board member Anne Miller. “We’re so grateful to Dr. Daryl, Nancy, AMVC, and Audubon State Bank, this donation directly benefits every single one of our students, their families, and our community.”

Free student activity tickets via Bound will be available at the start of the 2024-2025 school year to all Audubon K-12 students. This program is anticipated to run through the 25/26 and 26/27 school years as well. All students will be issued an activity ticket that will need to be presented at games for admission. Students in grades 4 and below must be accompanied by a caring adult. All students will be expected to follow good-conduct expectations. The school will review frequently asked questions, rules, and expectations in greater detail with students and families.