The Rotary Club of New Bern’s 2026 Pigskin Preview raised $7,500 to support athletic programs at five area high schools, organizers announced.

The event, held July 28 at the New Bern Shrine Club, brought the total raised over the past four years to $21,500. Funds will benefit the athletic programs at Havelock High School, Jones Senior High School, New Bern High School, Pamlico County High School, and West Craven High School.

Stephen Clayton of Coastal Concierge led the event with committee members Scott Allenspach (Boys & Girls Club), Walt Crayton (Crayton Commercial), Omar Gonzalez (North Carolina Farm Bureau), and Kelly Millington (Twin Rivers YMCA).

Coaches and student-athletes from the five schools took part in a preview of the upcoming football season and answered questions on topics ranging from relationships with band members and game officials to name, image, and likeness (NIL) opportunities and coaching mentors.

Brian North of WCTI 12 served as master of ceremonies. Media partners included Luke Schwartz (WCTI 12), Brian Bailey and Zach Kaplan (WNCT 9), Hiram Lupton (Pamlico News), Eric Queen (New Bern Live), and Mark Panichelli (252 Fox Sports).

Sponsors supporting the event included Moore’s BBQ, Craven County Independent Insurance Agents, Crayton Commercial, Overman Capital Management, Tom and Lorraine Greer, the Harold Bate Foundation, Omar Gonzalez – North Carolina Farm Bureau, Georgiana Bowman – Edward Jones, Havelock-Cherry Point Rotary Club, Rotary Club of Vanceboro, The Charburger, ideas Inc., New Bern Chiropractic Care, Faye Perry, Kenneth and Sharon Woolard, Bill Rivenbark, Jim Findley, and UPS Store.

Check presentations are scheduled for the following football games:

Aug. 21 – West Craven (vs. Havelock)
Aug. 28 – Havelock (vs. New Bern)
Sept. 4 – New Bern (vs. West Craven)
Oct. 2 – Jones Senior / Pamlico County (at Jones Senior)

All proceeds return directly to the participating schools. West Craven has previously used the funds to provide free student tickets to home football games to boost school spirit and community involvement. Other programs have reinvested the money into their football teams.

The Rotary Club of New Bern, founded in 1920, is the oldest and largest Rotary club in the city. The group meets at 1 p.m. each Tuesday at Chelsea Restaurant downtown and supports numerous local charities and community projects.