By Jason Klaiber
Staff Writer
Jamesville-DeWitt High School’s third annual “Hoops for Courage” game took place against East Syracuse-Minoa on Jan. 10 in an effort to raise funds for Camp Good Days & Special Times.
J-D’s National Honor Society (NHS) has organized “Hoops for Courage” since the event’s inception in 2018 when the high school’s basketball team faced Fayetteville-Manlius.
Last Friday night saw a repeat of last year’s match-up for the fundraiser game. This time around J-D’s girls team came out on top 68-35, while the boys endured a narrow defeat, notching 47 points to ESM’s 49.
The fundraiser was originally inspired by the annual Courage Bowl between St. John Fisher College and the College at Brockport that also raises money for Camp Good Days, a summer camp that brings in children, adults and families directly affected by cancer.
“The purpose behind Camp Good Days & Special Times is to give children opportunities to forget about everything that’s going on in their lives,” school counselor Diane Ennis, J-D’s co-adviser for NHS, said.
In addition to selling long-sleeve shirts featuring the event’s logo, NHS students from J-D reached out to community members for donations and sponsorships of raffle items, all proceeds going to the Branchport summer camp’s Central New York regional office at 356 N. Midler Ave in Syracuse.
Raffle items included gift certificates to local restaurants, spa baskets, J-D apparel baskets and a smart TV.
Ennis said the school did not aim for a specific goal this year in regard to fundraising.
“We’re grateful for every dollar we raise,” she said. “Every penny counts.”
According to Ennis, about $2,600 had been raised last year while roughly $5,000 had been raised for the inaugural event.
Warners resident Ray Spittler, who has attended the past two “Hoops for Courage” games, said his family became attached to Camp Good Days after his daughter—now 18 months cancer-free—had been diagnosed with Wilms’ tumor.
“One of the things that’s amazing about Camp Good Days is it’s not just about the child who got sick,” Spittler said. “It’s about every sibling in the family. All five of my kids until they’re 18 get to go to the summer camps. It’s absolutely incredible what they do for the family. It lets them be kids again.”
According to the non-profit organization’s Central New York director Kathy Kreilley, the camp has provided “pure joy” to about 50,000 children over the past 40 years through lakefront activities and relaxation.
