Sue Hrkach realizes she won't be cooking too many dinners throughout the remainder of August and through November.

Instead, she likely will be serving in her role as treasurer and supporter for the Bethlehem Raiders Football Organization, a role she has cherished for the past 16 years.

"I honestly don't know what I would do if I wasn't here during that time," she stated. "My husband knows there aren't many times where there is food on the table for dinner. I have always been there for the kids.

"It is a good organization and a second family to many people and kids. That's probably the main reason why it has been around for long time."

On August 16, the Raiders celebrated their 50th anniversary of their existence with a celebration slated at Sell Field. It has been a semicentennial marked by changes that have been marked by time, but the overall values and morals of the organization haven't lost their luster.

The Raiders continue to be an outlet of fun, football, and family.

Their beginnings can be humbly traced back to 1964 when a group of fathers from the northeast side of town decided to form a knee-high football organization.

The organization slowly grew and also kept gaining recognition and respect throughout Bethlehem, but they maintained their boundaries that were east of New Street and north of Broad Street. In the beginning, the lone team would travel throughout Pennsylvania to play its games in the old Blue Mountain League, and they now play in the Suburban Youth League.

Soon after, the Bethlehem Steelers and Saints were formed in the 1970s, but the Raiders continued to maintain their stature and resolve in the community. They eventually expanded their program to teams at five different levels as well as creating the corresponding amount of cheerleader squads during the same time period.

Tom Picone, the organization's current president who has served in different capacities for the past 23 years, has had his family involved with the organization over the years and has witnessed a steady and constant growth.

From its infancy that featured anywhere from 60 to 70 players, the program has more than doubled to approximately 200 players today.

"We basically built a complex overnight in the beginning and had under 100 kids," recalled Picone. "Recently, we have had over 200 kids. The program is as vibrant as ever. It is a real tribute to the program to see it as active as it is today because kids have so many more options today than how it was back in the old days.

"But we know there are kids out there who still want to play football. It has stayed pretty strong in Bethlehem and we have a good reputation."

Picone noted how the organization has continued to thrive despite experiencing some troubles maintaining their volunteers on the organization front as well as coaches. He did acknowledge some downward spirals along the way in the 1980s and 1990s, but the program showed its grit and kept it stature.

"We rely strictly on volunteers and that can be challenging today," said Picone. "But we have had people who still come back even if their child is no longer in the program. Most people move on. Here, we have people who are very dedicated and stay. You don't see that too often today. We don't do a lot of advertising and it is just the good old fashioned word of mouth that is the most effective.

"We have had some periods when it wasn't the greatest where we had less than 20 kids on a team, but we still battled through it."

Picone also noted how fundraising is one of the pillars for the organization. With continued rising costs, the cost to uniform a player is roughly $100. There is also the cost of referees and other additional expenses per game. Picone also stated how some state funding was recently discontinued.

"We do several fundraisers through the year," he said "The equipment also has to be reconditioned for every game. It is not like a baseball uniform for every game. Football is a lot more expensive.

"We used to get some funding from the state through the government, but that has ended. Now, we solely rely on fundraising. At our games, we have to sell a lot of hot dogs to help cover everything."

Over the years, there has been a steady flow of players who have moved from the program onto high school teams at Freedom and Liberty.

One of the most notable players from the past was Liberty's Mike Reichenbach, who made his name in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles and Miami Dolphins, as well as recent Freedom graduate Okezie Alozie, who is a sophomore defensive back at the University of Buffalo.

Along with helping players further their careers for high school, college, and the NFL, the Raiders also have had a number of players who have returned to the program to serve as coaches. Ben Hrkach, son of Sue, has served as an assistant coach for the past six seasons.

He has found it to be an enjoyable and rewarding experience.

"It has been a great time," he said. "All of my friends have gone through the program and some people are still involved with the program since I played there in the 90s. It was a great time for me to learn about football and also learn and be reminded about values and morals in life.

"Coming back as a coach gave me the opportunity to give back something to them. When I see some of them (players) out somewhere, they often come up to meet to talk or just to give me a hug. They look at us at being friends and mentors. That's important to their lives."

His mother echoed his thoughts as the Raiders provides and reminds youngsters about life inside and outside of football.

"The coaches and volunteers move up with the kids through the program," she said. "Our family has always been taught to help other people. For some kids who may be less fortunate, this gives them a great opportunity and also allows them to feel safe and wanted.

"I haven't really seen too many chances along the way. We have always worked to have a family atmosphere and we're going to continue to keep it going."

For more, be sure to check out their web site http://www.eteamz.com/BethlehemRaiders/