To view photos of the event, visit the Central Bucks South/Central Bucks West girls’ basketball gallery at the following link: http://photos.suburbanonesports.com/
It started out as nothing more than idea for a senior project.
And somehow, in a span of three months last year, 2009 Central Bucks South graduate T.J. Lonergan pulled together the first Coaches vs. Cancer event in conjunction with a girls' basketball game pitting CB South against Central Bucks East.
That was just the beginning.
Lonergan’s idea has grown into an event that captured the imagination of an entire Central Bucks community when CB South held its Coaches vs. Cancer event at its boys/girls basketball doubleheader against neighboring Central Bucks West last Tuesday.
The gymnasium was packed for the basketball twin bill, but that was just a part of the festivities that included the sidewalks lined with luminaries, a food court that featured 15 local vendors and raffles for everything from spa gift baskets to a Wii Rock Band game to college basketball tickets, sports memorabilia and gift cards.“I honestly didn’t imagine it turning into as big a project as it is now,” Lonergan said. “I hoped that it would become popular at South and become an annual tradition there, but I didn’t think they would accomplish that in the second year of having the event.”
Lonergan’s idea received a major assist not only from this year's senior captains, Kate Schneider, Kaycee Schaefer and Gab Vass, but also Scott Davidheiser, House Principal for the Class of 2010, who enlisted the help of the school’s student government association.
“He passed everything on to me since I’m involved in student government and the administrative liaison for that,” South's House Principal said. “I kind of made a promise and said, ‘Alright, I’ll keep the ball rolling.’”
Last summer, Davidheiser got the idea of involving Doylestown Hospital and spoke to Sue Gordon, public relations director for the hospital, which is part of the Penn Cancer Network.
“They jumped on board right away, and from there, it just grew,” he said. “It was nice to see the community support, and it was from every aspect of stakeholder. Our student government was really involved, a number of parents were really involved. We had the support of our staff and kids.“Doylestown Hospital was a partner the whole way, and it just made for a nice night. It really all came together that evening and just worked so well.”
Tuesday’s event came on the heels of a ‘Pink’ Out’ at a football game last fall, and while that event heightened breast cancer awareness, Tuesday’s Coaches vs. Cancer focused on melanoma and lung cancer awareness.
Doylestown Hospital provided professional expertise and also offered financial support. In the week preceding the event, students and staff had the opportunity to view videos educating them about lung cancer and melanoma - one of which featured a district nurse, Marlene Greenburg, herself a cancer survivor.
“It kind of put things in perspective, making students aware of (the risks),” South boys’ basketball coach Jason Campbell said.
The week culminated with the basketball twin bill against West.
“It was special that we got to play a cross-town rival, but it was also special to see the CB South community join together in order to put together this event and make it successful,” South girls’ basketball coach Beth Mattern said. “The students were excited, the teachers were excited, administrators, parents – it was more than just one aspect of the community putting it together.
“They did a fantastic job promoting it, and it was a great package.”“It was bumping,” Campbell added. “The girls’ game started at 5:30, and I got there around 10 minutes after five, and the parking lot was already starting to fill up.
“I walked up to the door, and there’s a huge crowd standing there. The atmosphere was great. It was a great team effort from everyone.”
Over 600 people gave a $5 donation to enjoy food provided by local vendors that included Village Bagel, Panera Bread, Applebee’s, Houlihan’s, UNO’s, Dominic’s, Pina’s Pizza, P.F. Chang’s, Wendy’s, Moe’s, Sodexho, Ninety-Nine, T.G.I. Friday’s, Red Lion Diner, Giuseppe’s and Wegman’s.
“Some decided to come and actually cook,” Davidheiser said. “Others donated food items and raffle items.
“It was a lot of hard work by a lot of people during the month leading up to it, and it fell into place.”
The event was a success on all counts.
Not only did it promote awareness of Doylestown Hospital’s cancer center, it also raised funds to battle the potentially deadly disease. Perhaps equally important, it provided an opportunity to educate while creating awareness in the community.
“I think people left feeling good on Tuesday night because you know what – it wasn’t just a basketball event, and it wasn’t just a cancer awareness event or a student government event,” Davidheiser said. “It was a whole community coming in and doing whatever they could do to help.“People that normally wouldn’t come to a basketball game were there. People that were West fans who wouldn’t go to an away game came to an away game. So many different aspects just fell together.”
Davidheiser credited math teacher Jamie Bainbridge, the 12th grade class advisor, for her role in making the night successful.
“Jamie was just a key player in the government aspect, putting everything together as far as planning with myself and the mothers,” Davidheiser said. “Jamie is just an event planner, and the kids really stepped up.
“We had about 50 student government members – we put them everywhere imaginable, and they stepped up. I left here at 9:30, and it looked like there had never been an event here.”
Darlene Schneider, Joann Vass, Linda Joerger and Chris Nonneman spearheaded the parent involvement, representing both the boys’ and girls’ basketball teams as well as student government.
The excitement of the event was not lost on the players.
“It was comparable to our district playoff game with Pennsbury last year,” said senior co-captain Nick Joerger. “That’s the only thing I can compare it to. The gym was full. It was the first time I’ve ever seen our home court packed like that.”With donations still coming in, the total amount raised was not available, but a check presentation to the American Cancer Society will be held within the next several weeks.
“It was nice to see the hard work pay off,” Davidheiser said. “People are still talking about it. It’s created a buzz, and it’s created a pretty high bar if we get back in this business next year.
“Maybe it’s not about topping it. Maybe it’s about maintaining it in that way.”
And to think it all started with a simple idea for a senior project.
“I threw the idea out there and began the process, but they carried it on,” Lonergan said.
And in one short year, it has become an event an entire school community can call its own.
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