Some Businesses Sponsor a Team. Others Become Part of Its Story.
For the Arizona Boosters Foundation, Richard Appel and Dry Star Restoration have become one of those partners.
As one of our most significant donors and supporters, Richard has continually poured into the Tempe community and the student-athletes of Tempe High Football.
His support has helped fund team banquets, player awards and special experiences that recognize the young people putting in the work every day.
And now, his impact can be seen every time the Buffaloes take the field.
Helping Create a New Buffalo Tradition
The new Tempe High Football Buffalo tunnel is hard to miss.
But to us, it’s about much more than an inflatable tunnel.
Imagine being a student-athlete standing behind that Buffalo on a Friday night. Your teammates are beside you. Your coaches are preparing you. Families and community members are waiting in the stands. Then the team runs onto the field together.
For the athletes, that’s a moment. For the program, it becomes a tradition. And for the businesses that helped make it possible, it’s a tangible reminder of what investing in young people can create.
Tempe High’s football tradition stretches back more than a century. The tunnel gives today’s generation of Buffaloes another tradition of their own — and Richard Appel helped make it happen.
The People Behind the Partnership
Community impact starts with people who decide to get involved.
Richard Appel, owner of Dry Star Restoration, LLC, is one of those people.
His relationship with our organization hasn’t been about simply putting a company name on something. He’s shown up.
Richard and Dry Star Restoration have helped us celebrate athletes, funded banquets where players, coaches and families can come together at the end of a season, provided awards that recognize achievement, commitment and hard work, and invested in things that make being part of Tempe High Football special.
Why Banquets and Awards Matter
It’s easy to look at a banquet or an award and see an expense. We see something different.
We see a young athlete hearing their name called. We see a coach recognizing months of hard work. We see parents getting the opportunity to celebrate what their child accomplished. We see teammates sitting together one more time and remembering the season they shared.
An award may eventually end up on a shelf, but what it represents can stay with an athlete much longer: your work mattered, your accomplishments were noticed, your community was behind you.
That’s exactly the kind of environment we want to help create.
Pouring Back Into Tempe
The Arizona Boosters Foundation’s work with Tempe High Football is about filling the gaps around the program — so coaches can focus on coaching and athletes can focus on competing.
That includes corporate sponsorships, fundraising, team meals, events, operational support and community engagement.
People like Richard Appel make that work possible.
And that’s why we believe this partnership represents something bigger than a donation. It’s an example of what can happen when someone decides: These are our kids. This is our community. And I want to help.
More Than a Sponsor
Our vision at the Arizona Boosters Foundation is to create more partnerships like this across Arizona.
A business doesn’t have to solve every problem facing an athletic program. It can solve one.
One company can provide a team meal. Another can help purchase equipment. Another can help athletes travel to a college campus. Another can sponsor awards. Another can help a team create an experience its athletes will remember forever.
Put those businesses together and something powerful happens: the community becomes part of the team.
That’s what Richard Appel and Dry Star Restoration have done for us.
Thank You, Richard Appel
To Richard Appel and everyone at Dry Star Restoration:
Thank you, Richard, for believing in what we’re building. Thank you for investing in Tempe High Football — not just with a check, but with your time, your presence, and your commitment. Thank you for helping us celebrate these student-athletes. Thank you for the banquets, the awards, and the experiences they’ll carry long after their final game. And most importantly, thank you for continuing to pour back into the Tempe community.
Every time the Buffaloes run through that tunnel, we’ll think of the people who helped make it happen. We’ll think of Richard Appel.
Want to Make an Impact Like This?
Arizona businesses can help us create opportunities for student-athletes through sponsorships, equipment, meals, travel, awards, college exposure and other program needs.
