Frequently Asked Questions

Gowdy Basketball Club is a 501(c)3 non-profit basketball club and foundation for sports established to insure all youth can play at an accelerated level regardless of social or economic challenges.  Our EIN is: 93-3737537.

We do not ask a fee.  Each family in our club pays what they feel they can - no questions asked.  All families help find donors and participate in fundraisers.  Our players are expected to actively participate in our fundraisers to help teach work ethic.

We don't just focus on basketball, but the entire child.

• Fundraisers.  We do fundraisers such as Leaf Raking in fall and brat fry in spring.  These are activities where the players actually work to teach them work ethic.
• Giving Back to Our Community.  We believe it builds character to learn to give back to your community at a young age.  This is the 2nd year we did Salvation Army Bell Ringing in December, where our players can be out in the community fundraising for others.  It will also be the 2nd year  participating in the Fox Wolf Watershed River Clean up in May to teach becoming environmentally conscious citizens.
• Academics.  We meet an hour before our practices to work with our players on their academics.  Mondays we work on Reading, writing and science.  Wednesdays we practice math skills using a variety of games. Lawrence University's Women's Basketball Team comes in on Wednesdays when possible and runs our Math Hoops program. We also provide one-on-one  tutoring for those who need it.
• We HAVE FUN!!!!!   Outside of our scheduled practices and games we go to Lawrence University Women's Basketball Games to watch our tutors, we go to UW Oshkosh Games and help out as ball boys, and we go to at least one Herd Game per season.  We play basketball, we learn, we have new experiences, we make new friends and we have fun!

Marquis Gowdy, Founder & President has been a volunteer coach in the Appleton Area for almost a decade.  Marquis played basketball in both high school & college and continues to play basketball on an adult league.  Marquis’ son Kaden plays for Kishwaukee College in IL.  Marquis’ daughter, Jazelle, played basketball on the Girl’s Varsity Team at Appleton West.  Jazelle received multiple college application requests and was listed as one of the top 25 female basketball players in the state.  Marquis is passionate about using basketball to open doors of opportunity for the youth in our program.  Marquis's day job is working with at risk older teens and young adults for Outagamie County, while attending school to to become certified as an AODA counselor.  Marquis gave up being a Personal Basketball Trainer and the lucrative money the personal training brought in, so that he had the time to start this organization with Cameo Vogel.

Cameo Vogel, Co-Founder & Secretary is a home health care worker who loves her patients.  Her love & compassion for others shows in her nurturing way with the kids in our program.  Cameo is the lead in the club’s fall Leaf Raking Fundraiser so our players could earn some of their own money for basketball, while teaching a work ethic.  The Leaf Raking Fundraiser brings in approximately $400 per year to the organization.  The leaf raking fundraiser starts the year out with our players having to work together and creates bonds between the players.  Cameo is also the lead on our Salvation Army Bell Ringing in December.  Cameo has previously done volunteer work with Fox Valley Humane Association, Salvation Army and Fox Wolf Watershed Alliance to name a few.

Vicki Vogel, Treasurer is a Pres George H.W. Bush, POINTS OF LIGHT recipient July 2021 and a Community Foundation of the Fox Valley Region Health Care Award recipient April 2021 for her work with area hospitals during the pandemic with mask testing and design for efficacy.  Vicki has owned her own businesses and been involved in community nonprofits sine the early 1980s.  She has previously served on multiple other board of directors in the Appleton area as both an officer and in fundraising capacities.