RICHARD BUYSSE FAMILY GIVES ADDITIONAL $10,000 TO THE NEW
ATHLETIC COMPLEX
WEST LIBERTY, IA – The Richard Buysse Family is giving $10,000 to the athletic complex in addition to the $50,000 Dick and Diane and their son, Andy, and wife Jackie contributed. Dick and Diane Buysse have eight children, 22 grandchildren, and 16 great-grandchildren. All eight of their children are West Liberty graduates and 21 of the 22 grandchildren attended school at some point in West Liberty. Several great-grandchildren are currently enrolled, and Dick says he’s thrilled they will benefit from the new complex.
“I’ve loved watching all our kids and grandkids participate in activities over the years,” said Dick. “This new facility will be great for the whole town, but our own family will get lots of use out of it as well.”
This gift of $10,000 puts total fundraising at over $1.3 million. The goal is $2 million and Activities Director, Adam Loria, said they hope to meet their goal within a year.
“This is fantastic,” said Activities Director, Adam Loria. “We are overwhelmed by the tremendous support from the Buysse family. It’s a bonus that we have so many kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids from this family that will get to use the new facilities. Their generous donations have put us a lot closer to our end goal.”
Two of Dick and Diane’s daughters are long-term teachers in the district. Kim Wiele is a teacher at the ELC and Jackie Henderson is a TAG teacher for middle school and high school students. The Buysses have four other family members that work for the school as well.
“I’m very humbled by my staff members who have donated to this project,” said Superintendent Shaun Kruger. “I have been very impressed with everyone who works in this district. They go above and beyond, so contributing financially to a school infrastructure project is more than a Superintendent could ask for. I’m very grateful to the entire Buysse family.”
Fundraising kicked off on March 29, 2022, at a press conference to announce the project. The first phase of the project, all the outdoor facilities, is funded by the district. The second phase, a state-of-the-art indoor training and practice facility, will be jointly funded by the district and fundraising. The school hopes to raise all necessary funds within the first year of fundraising so they can start working on the indoor facility after the outdoor fields are completed.
“This is a game changer,” said Adam Loria. “Once we complete this project West Liberty will have some of the nicest facilities in the state.”
Contacts:
Shaun Kruger, West Liberty Superintendent 319-627-2116
Adam Loria, West Liberty Activities Director 319-627-2116