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COLUMBUS, Ohio – After a successful inaugural year in
2008, the Ohio High School Athletic Association
Foundation’s Service Week is at it again in 2009. The
Service Week initiative, which conducted its first full
campaign last year, encourages member schools to become
involved in community service projects and will run this
year from November 18 to December 5.
Schools
which elect to participate are allowed to play a
“Foundation Game” in conjunction with the efforts put
forth by the students, coaches, teachers and community
members. The Foundation games count as one of the five
scrimmages allowed by the OHSAA, but can be played under
regulation game conditions and do not count toward the
team’s record.
Last
year’s Service Week featured 136 events and over 250
participating schools. The $250,000 raised went to
benefit organizations such as the American Red Cross,
Big Brothers & Big Sisters, Make-A-Wish Foundation,
Ronald McDonald House and St. Jude’s Children’s
Hospital, among others.
One of
the events highlighting last year’s success was Lebanon
High Schools Basketball for Food event. With their
efforts, the community raised over 23,000 pounds of food
and $5,000 that was donated to the Warren County Food
Bank. The players, cheerleaders and band members made it
a district wide event by holding pep rallies at the
elementary and middle schools and collecting donations
outside local grocery stores.
This
year, Lebanon High School will team up with Franklin
High School in their Foundation Game being held Friday,
November 27. The goal for the event is 30,000 pounds of
food and fans are asked to bring a canned good as
admission to the game.
“It’s a
great way for the kids and the community to come
together and provide a service, especially around the
holidays,” said Pat Murphy, head basketball coach at
Lebanon High School.
Several
other games which benefit local food banks are scheduled
near the Holiday weekend, including West Chester Lakota
West and Cincinnati McAuley, Cincinnati Mariemont and
Cincinnati Turpin, and Painesville Harvey and Wooster
Triway, which are all playing Foundation Games the day
before Thanksgiving.
One
group benefitting from several of this year’s Foundation
Games isn’t a nationally known organization, but the
story is just as important. Over 12 teams participated
in games played on Friday, November 20 where some or all
of the proceeds benefitted the Rossman family.
Greg
Rossman is the athletic director for Ridgedale High
School in Morral and his son Lincoln, born prematurely
and weighing under two pounds at birth, has spent the
last eight months battling numerous health issues
related to his premature birth. The medical bills now
total nearly $3 million.
Many of
the fundraising events haven’t concluded as schools
continue to raise money throughout the month, but
Colonel Crawford Athletic Director Dave Sheldon reported
that they have already collected over $3,700 dollars for
the Rossman family.
“It was
a great night with lots of support from people willing
to help our family,” said Rossman. “Communities can
really pull together to help each other. Friday was
evidence of that.”
A set
of eight games are also scheduled between the Federal
League Athletic Association and the Northeastern Buckeye
Conference with proceeds benefitting the Hoops 4 Healing
Foundation, a non-profit organization that promotes
awareness and education for organ donation and liver
disease.
In total, this year features over 300
teams participating in more than 175 events around the
state of Ohio. To find a Foundation game being played
in your area, please visit
www.ohsaafoundation.org. |
