Jersey Dodgeball Tournament raises funds for DARE

JERSEYVILLE - Dodgeball isn’t a sport played in Jerseyville too often, but on Sunday, the DARE Dodgeball Tournament at Jersey Community High School was exceptionally popular.

Rich Portwood, the Jerseyville DARE officer, came up with the idea for the event. Proceeds were designed to benefit Jersey schools’ DARE program.

“We had high school, middle school and adult teams,” he said. “We will use the money raised for both scholarships for seniors and buying materials, books and graduation certificates.”

Portwood said the Jerseyville Police Department is very lucky for the support the community gives its DARE program.

“We are completely dependent on donations,” Portwood said. “We had overwhelming support from businesses this year. DARE is a self-supporting entity and events like this one - the dodgeball tourney - help raise funds.”

Bob Jones, a former Illinois State Police officer, is a member of the Jersey DARE Board. He praised Portwood for his efforts with the program.

“I think the approach is right, getting kids to do these types of events rather than running around on the streets,” he said.

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