By Claudia Loucks
Correspondent

The 2022-2023 Boys’ Basketball season will kick off at the “Meet the Maple Leafs” green and white scrimmage on Friday, Nov. 18, and will include “The Charity Stripe” and the Geneseo Food Pantry fundraiser.

The free throw shooting for Charity will be held from 5:30 to 6:15 p.m.

GHS Head Basketball Coach Brad Storm explained, “It is a privilege to be part of an effort like this, and as the head coach, I thank all players, families and donors in advance for their efforts and generosity. In earlier years, we raised money for the Children’s Therapy Center of the QC and for Toys for Tots. In more recent years, we have raised many thousands of dollars for two organizations – The Geneseo Food Pantry and ‘The Charity Stripe’.”

He said “The Charity Stripe” is the umbrella organization endorsed by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association…”They support three causes as a basketball fundraiser: ‘Free Throws For Heroes’ given money to servicemen/women and their families who are struggling to make ends meet or who have financial issues due to injury or etc. ‘Free Throws for the Fight’ gives money to cancer patients and their families who are in financial need and also toward the research to find a cure. ‘Troop Dreams’ raises money to make dreams come true for military families, and one hundred percent of the money raised will go to the causes, not to administrative or other costs.”

The Geneseo Food Pantry is always in need of funds and goods, Coach Storm said. “Many don’t realize how many in our school district struggle to make ends meet, including having enough for food and clothes. It’s an honor to serve them.”

Storm said the fundraiser works like this: “Players are to contact family members, near and far; neighbors, teachers and coaches, and anyone else and ask them to either donate a flat amount to the charity fund raiser or to pledge an amount per free throw made that you will then collect on after shooting the free throws. Then your job is to make as many as you can out of 100 free throws you will shoot at the scrimmage on Nov. 18. The challenge we set every year is for each player to raise at least $100. And we don’t want a player’s family having to put a lot of money in unless they also want to do that. We really want our players to invest in serving others, and just having parents be the only source isn’t much of an effort put forth for those who you could help. The money should come from many donation sources that add up to reach that goal and beyond. There will be a prize for the top money raisers.”

Players are to contact Coach Storm for pledge sheets. After players complete the form, and collect the money, they are to turn it into Coach Storm or one of the other coaches by the date selected as turn-in day.

Checks can be made out to Maple City Basketball and Coach Storm will write one check to The Charity Stripe organization and Storm added, “If people feel more comfortable writing the check to ‘The Charity Stripe’ or to The Geneseo Food Pantry, they can do that.”

MEET THE MAPLE LEAFS GREEN/WHITE SCRIMMAGE ON NOV. 18 AT GHS

The scrimmage will be a much shorter night, and Coach Brad Storm explained, “We only have 20 players in the high school program right now, and a few of them are recovering from injuries. So, we aren’t going to scrimmage as long or as hard as might normally go. We hope to have enough things put in that when we scrimmage, we can get some good evaluation of what to work on before the first game on Nov. 23.

“Despite not scrimmaging as long, the night is a good opportunity for the players to put on uniforms, play in front of some people, and have officials so that it is at least some sense of what it will be like on game night.There is a benefit in that.