By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium
Evia Wright, the Treasurer and Cheer Director of the Benson Bruins has dedicated years of her time, knowledge, and passion to the advancement of youth football and cheer, and she has no plans of stopping anytime soon. Her commitment to the organization is evident in both her roles, where she has become a cornerstone of the Benson Bruins program.
As Treasurer, Wright shoulders significant responsibility, handling all of the organization’s finances, a task that can often be overwhelming and tedious.
“I have been treasurer since 2019, and in this role, I am in charge of all of the payables and receivables,” Wright explains. “That is our biggest expenditure, making sure that our taxes are paid and that we stay in line with everything financial to keep our nonprofit status up and running.”
“From the documentation for traveling teams, purchasing uniforms, paying for the stadiums, managing all of the ticket sales, to monitoring the account daily because we have had some instances of fraud, anything financial that you can think of, that is my responsibility,” she adds.
But Wright’s contributions extend well beyond the financial side of things. She first got involved with the Benson Bruins in 2017 when her daughter joined the cheer squad. What began as simply supporting her daughter quickly turned into a much larger role within the organization.
“From being there daily with my daughter, I became the cheer team mom and kept working with the cheer squad, just doing team mom duties,” Wright recalls. “We then had a situation in 2020 where all the coaches quit. It was my daughter’s last year, and they still wanted to cheer. So, I stepped in and took on the role of cheer director at that time.”
Under Wright’s leadership, the Benson Bruins’ cheer program has flourished. Thomas Wray, Vice President of the Benson Bruins, says that her impact on the program has totally changed the direction of the program.
“After Evia joined our program, she has taken our cheerleading program to a level that we haven’t seen prior to her joining Benson,” says Wray. “Last season, we had a record high of roughly 42 cheerleaders, and we were able to get into the league championship competition. This year, we aspire to go to regionals and nationals in Las Vegas under her guidance and direction. She has also brought in highly skilled coaches to help us become more competitive on a league, regional, and nationwide stage.”
Managing both the financial and cheerleading aspects of the organization is no small feat. Wright credits her cheer staff for helping her manage her dual roles effectively.
“Now I am actually co-director because I have someone that is helping me,” Wright shares. “I have so many things to do for the organization as far as treasury goes. So, I have Kathy who works with me, and I literally call her the director, and I call myself the co-director because we work hand-in-hand now. I’m not having to do it all by myself.”
Wright’s passion for the cheerleaders extends beyond just managing practices and games. She is deeply committed to ensuring that her young athletes are recognized as the athletes they are.
“I attend every practice, making sure that the girls are there and that they feel loved and cherished at the same time while they are learning how to be great young people,” she says. “I want to make sure that the cheerleaders are still acknowledged because football is such a big thing, and sometimes cheer gets lost in the mix. My main thing right now is to just beat the drum for cheer to make sure that we are seen and heard as athletes because they are athletes.”
Even though Wright’s daughter has moved on from the Benson program and is now a varsity cheerleader at Lindbergh High School, Wright remains just as engaged, if not more so, in her advocacy for cheerleaders.
“My daughter has since aged out and is now a varsity cheerleader at Lindbergh High School, so I am heavily involved with her on that end,” says Wright. “But the love I have for Benson and the love for cheer—I am still an intricate part of the cheer squad. I am working with some other cheer squads in the community, just trying to have us pushed more into the forefront to let people know that we are more than just a group of girls on the sidelines cheering for the football team.”
Her dedication to bringing cheerleading to the forefront of the community is tireless. Wright constantly looks for ways to get her athletes involved in the community and recognized for their hard work.
“It is my life’s work right now to put cheer on the forefront by connecting recreational cheer with the varsity cheer squad,” she says. “I’m constantly in contact with my daughter’s coach, trying to do things together with them. I had the Varsity cheerleaders at our last game doing face paintings with our girls so that I can kind of create like a big sister, little sister type deal.”
In addition to building these connections, Wright ensures that her cheerleaders are involved in community activities.
“I always make sure that we are doing things around the community as well so that we can be seen and heard,” she says. “We will be doing some other competitions around the Washington state area and with the University of Washington.”
For Wright, the most rewarding part of her role as cheer director is witnessing the growth of the young athletes that she mentors.
“I see the growth in the girls that I have worked with, who started with Benson and then went on to Varsity cheer, and that gives me so much joy and pleasure to see them grow,” Wright says. “A lot of girls have things going on in their personal lives, and one thing I pride myself on is being a place of comfort for a lot of these girls. A place where they can come and speak freely without judgment.”
Wright’s impact on her cheerleaders extends far beyond the field, as she strives to be a positive influence in their lives.
“My biggest thing is to make sure that I am a facilitator between the coaches and that I am having a positive impact on the girls personally and throughout their cheer career,” she says. “I get to experience them grow into young ladies who are doing positive things in their lives, and that gives me great joy.”
“Evia cultivates our young women to not only excel as cheerleaders but in the classroom as well. The highly skilled coaches she has brought in have helped properly prepare our cheerleaders to not only be competitive but to be safe,” Wray says.
