To view photos of the Vikings March for Relief basketball game, visit the photo gallery and click on the following link: http://photos.suburbanonesports.com/
The Viking Army turned out in force for Tuesday night’s SOL game against Norristown.
Upper Merion’s sixth man – most wearing their Viking Army black t-shirts – played a supporting role in the Vikings’ dramatic 33-32 win over the Eagles.
More importantly, everyone who participated was contributing to a worthy cause as the proceeds from the night, which was designated ‘Vikings March for Relief,’ went to support victims of the earthquake in Haiti.
This year’s project raised over $3,500, and over the past four years, this year’s senior class has raised $17,000 through its charity events. All told, they sold 1,800 t-shirts and are 4-0 on charity nights.
“Our school gets really involved with donating money – not just the sports team, but everybody likes to get involved, and it’s really awesome,” said senior Alex Galdi, a member of the basketball team and veteran of four charity nights. “We fill the gym whenever we have games like this.
“Seeing the turnout of everybody and everybody wanting to get involved – donating money and buying shirts, it’s really nice. When the game comes, and you see everybody there, it’s really awesome.”
For the preceding three years, the girls’ soccer and basketball teams had supported Breast Cancer Awareness with a pink-out, but this year, they decided it was time for a change.
“To be honest, there’s only so many times you can sell pink t-shirts and get the school behind your effort four years in a row,” Upper Merion coach Tom Shurtz said. “We were going back and forth whether we were going to do one this year, and then the tragedy happened in Haiti.
“A couple of our student’s lives were affected by it – they have family down there, and it grew out of a larger context than just girls’ basketball and soccer.”
After some thought, the team decided to sell black Viking Army t-shirts and donate all the proceeds to the American Red Cross, designating the funds for Haiti relief.
“It all came together very quickly,” Shurtz said. “It’s a real testament to our student body’s willingness to help out with this cause.
“A lot of different teachers were involved whereas in the past it was really just the girls’ soccer coaching staff and the girls’ basketball coaching staff. This was open to a much wider audience. I think this really hit home, and it was something we were able to pull together and do well.”
This year’s project involved the Student Council, the Cultural Heritage Club and the Optimist Club. Several other groups had already started collecting clothes, and in addition, over $600 was raised collecting loose change during lunch.
In the end, 30 bags of clothing were collected for Haiti, and $250 worth of bottled water will be sent as well.
“Knowing people want to get involved for charity – that’s really nice,” Galdi said. “The situation in Haiti has been all over the news, and it’s really upsetting.
“To do something for that feels good.”
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