Baseball can be the reason someone loves a sport, but sometimes it can be costly to join a team or attend camps during the summer. South coach Gene Felise and Jarred Schwieger of Marrs Middle School brainstormed a way to make baseball free for their players during the summer.

Baseball isn’t cheap, so Felise and Schwieger decided to start an enchilada fundraiser to help cover their costs.

“Usually, the money helps cover some tournament entry fees, out of town trips and the cost to pay the umpires,” Felise said.

The coaches and players pre-sell the enchiladas at $25 a dozen. The price covers the costs of the beef, tortillas and ingredients to make the sauce. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, a dozen cost $20, but since then the cost of the ingredients has risen, and so has the enchilada price.

The first fundraiser took place at South Omaha’s DG’s Boxing Club where they made approximately 150 dozen enchiladas. Today, the players make close to 500 dozen. “I am just thankful for the community being able to support the team and the growth of this fundraiser,” Felise added.

“I think the fact that we make our own sauce makes the enchiladas so special, and it’s mostly always the same people making them, so you know the consistency of what you’re going to get,” he said.

Leading up to the day the enchiladas are delivered, Schwieger posts on social media letting the community know about their fundraiser and how they can help.

“Even if a person cannot attend the fundraiser, they can still help out by sharing the post to their friends and family,” Felise added.

These types of fundraisers can be difficult to keep going over the years, Felise said, and “not everything will be perfect, and that’s OK; you just have to get used to errors, but they can lead to learning moments.”

The coaches and players usually plan for two enchilada fundraisers a year, one in the fall and one in the spring.