Fireworks sales support Folsom youth sports: ‘This is our biggest fundraiser’
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- Fireworks sales raise about $120,000 annually for Folsom Athletic Association programs.
- Safe and sane fireworks support scholarships and youth sports in Folsom.
- Booth managers and volunteers operate five booths for the Folsom nonprofit.
Michael Raffetto and others stocked the shelves of a Fourth of July fireworks booth Saturday in the parking lot of a Bel Air shopping center in Folsom, preparing for a big day of sales.
The location at 2760 East Bidwell St. is just one of five fireworks booths in the Sacramento County suburb that benefits the Folsom Athletic Association, a nonprofit organization that creates recreation and athletic opportunities for youths.
It’s one of many nonprofits and community groups that sell legal “safe and sane” fireworks for seven days each summer to raise money to fund their efforts throughout the year.
“This is our biggest fundraiser,” said Raffetto, a board member of the Folsom youth sports nonprofit. “And you can talk to any other group in Sacramento County. It is probably their biggest fundraiser.”
The nonprofit’s mission is to help youths living in Folsom participate in soccer, basketball, softball, swimming and lacrosse at different age groups and skill levels in competitive leagues and recreational activities. Raffetto said they raise money so that no Folsom youths are prevented from participating in sports because of financial restraints.
The FAA has a scholarship program that offers eligible youths up to $200 per athlete to help pay for registration fees. Raffetto, who was president of the athletic association from 2018 through 2024, said the group has handed out about $10,000 in scholarships so far this year.
He said the Folsom nonprofit also funds other scholarships, including some for high school seniors to help them attend college or join the military.
“We’re happy to help all those families who need it,” Raffetto said. “A lot of our money that’s raised here goes towards the youth assistance programs.”
The fireworks sales are vital for youth sports in Folsom, so a lot of work is done to prepare. Raffetto said David Benevento, a FAA board member, serves as the nonprofit’s fireworks coordinator making sure the booths will be ready to go each summer.
Several fireworks retailers — including TNT Fireworks, Phantom Fireworks and Freedom Fireworks — will have stands in the Sacramento area through July 4. Nearly 300 communities across the state — including cities in Sacramento and Yolo counties — permit the sale of “safe and sane” fireworks in the days leading up to Independence Day.
The only Placer County cities that permit the sale of legal fireworks are Roseville, Rocklin and Lincoln. All fireworks are illegal throughout El Dorado County because of extreme fire danger from hot and dry conditions.
In California, fireworks considered dangerous or unpredictable are banned, including sky rockets, bottle rockets, roman candles aerial shells and firecrackers.
“And all these are the safe and sane fireworks,” Raffetto said about the FAA booths. “Nothing goes up in the air.”
He said they nonprofit pays to hire two managers to operate the booths and they are aided by volunteers from each of the sports clubs that benefit from the FAA fireworks sales. The volunteers earn a portion of the total sales that go back to their sports to clubs to use as they see fit.
On Saturday, Jaya Kissi and Griffin Kain were the two managers setting up the booth at the Folsom Bel Air shopping center parking lot. They are both required to train the volunteers.
Raffetto said the nonprofit also pays property owners for the spots they use in the parking lots, along with security to keep an eye on the fireworks booths.
Raffetto said they raise a total of about $120,000 each year from selling fireworks at their booths from June 28 through July 4. Other events raise additional funds. For instance, he said the FAA hosted a successful crab feed earlier this year, its first ever, and collected about $16,000 for the nonprofit.
He said the Folsom nonprofit is self-sustained and doesn’t receive any funding from the city.
“It would be difficult to do everything that we do without the fireworks fundraiser,” Raffetto said. “It helps all the way around.”
