It’s time to button up!

In the coming weeks, a new fashion accessory will become a hot commodity. A new button, bearing the message “got 2 c 2 play” will be spreading throughout Kingston and the North End. The message, though cryptic, makes sense when you find out the buttons are a fund-raiser to put lights up at the Kingston High School track and playing field.

Students in the Kingston High Associated Student Body will have these buttons on hand to sell. They will also be available — for a donation — at the Greater Kingston Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center, Kingston Thriftway and Albertsons, where donation jars will be set out. The goal is to raise $200,000.

During winter months, when the night hours long outlast the sunshine, high school athletics don’t stop. For safety’s sake, high school athletes deserve a well-lit, safe facility so they can represent their school in the best way they know how.

The lack of lighting creates a logistical nightmare for KHS, with trying to juggle practices and games for the junior varsity football, soccer and track and field team.

When the sun goes down, the fun ends.

Remember the frustration you felt when your mom used to call you in from playing as soon as the streetlights came on? Imagine that frustration — a one hundred fold.

Only this time, you have the chance to do something about it.

On Thursday night, the Kingston-North Kitsap Rotary Club put its money where its heart is with a $10,000 contribution to the campaign. Nancy Martin presented the North Kitsap School District board of directors with the funds, which were raised through the club’s “Swing for the Lights” golf tournament at White Horse Golf Course last June.

As Martin describes it, KHS is a new school and the Kingston-North Kitsap Rotary Club is a relatively new organization, so they have a lot in common.

Another golf tournament is scheduled for this June, with proceeds to go to the light effort.

The KHS Athletic Boosters also are contributing to making the track and playing field more useable with their $20,000 contribution for a new scoreboard.

They’ve done their share. Now it’s your turn.

When you see the “got 2 c 2 play” buttons, reach into your pocketbooks and give what you can.

It’s for safety’s sake.

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