Buttons with the text message lingo, “got2 c 2play” will soon be showing up on hoodies and coat collars all over town as the Kingston-North Kitsap Rotary Club gets a new campaign underway to raise awareness about its efforts to fund lights for the Kingston High School track and playing field.

The buttons will be sold by members of the KHS Associated Student Body and Rotary, and available at locations such as the Greater Kingston Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center, Kingston Thriftway and Albertsons where donation jars will be set out. The Rotary Club hopes the buttons will be a visible reminder of the ongoing effort to light the field, according publicity chairwoman Nancy Martin. The fund-raising drive is titled “Our Kids Shouldn’t Have to Play in the Dark.” Contributions big and small are welcome, and the cost of buttons is by donation.

The buttons were designed by Geoff Taylor of Kingston-based David+Geoffries marketing firm.

The lights are estimated to total $200,000 and Rotary started fund-raising with a “Swing for the Lights” Golf Tournament at White Horse Golf Course last June, which brought in $10,000. The club presented a check in that amount to the North Kitsap School District at its regular meeting Jan. 24, and also gave each board member a button, Martin said.

Another golf tournament is scheduled for June 13 at White Horse and it’s hoped that an even greater amount will be raised. Last year’s event also included a catered dinner and auction. The club has locked in the second Friday of June as the date of what is to be an annual golfing event.

Other fund-raising efforts, to be announced later, will take place throughout the school year to contribute to the lights fund, Martin said. The Kingston Rotary is also working to organize an Interact Club at KHS, a student group that will join in community service projects and help with the lights drive.

KHS Athletic Boosters have already contributed $20,000 to purchase a scoreboard for the playing field, where junior varsity football and soccer games are played and track meets held. The varsity football team has its games at the North Kitsap District Stadium in Poulsbo, but practices on the $1 million turf field at the new high school.

Lighting the field will provide a venue not only for competitive sports events during the school year, but also for school and community teams to utilize in the North End where field time after school hours is hard to come by.

Local citizens and businesses can also support the lights campaign through sponsorships of the golf tournament or by making a direct donation at any Kitsap Bank, with checks made payable to the Kingston Rotary Foundation.

The KHS ASB, athletes, athletic boosters and other community organizations are expected to join in the effort to light up the field.

More information is available at www.kingston-nkrotary.org. For details on the golf tournament, go to www.kingstonrotarygolf.com or contact Neil Swanson, golf tournament chairman, at (360) 297-3361.