For more than 50 years, the Israel Sport Center for the Disabled has been a leader in research and therapy work for children born with disabilities or victims of terrorist attacks.
For the first time, the Israel Sport Center for the Disabled is being represented on a college campus with a 3-on-3 basketball tournament called Hoops for Hope, put on with the help of Bobcats for Israel, the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity and Hillel at Ohio University.
Nicole Angel, philanthropy chair and event coordinator for Bobcats for Israel and a senior studying business marketing, was introduced to the center during an internship at an event-planning agency called IMPACT 365.
“We were looking for a philanthropy project for Bobcats (for Israel), and I had been touched by the center, so we reached out to them,” Angel said. “They’ve never done anything on a college campus before, so they were really excited.”
Each team will play for 15 minutes, and there will be a double elimination round to determine the winner.
First prize includes a trip to Chicago with hotel stay, Cubs tickets and $100 for Schubas Tavern and Harmony Grill in Wrigleyville, donated by Stu Nitzkin, the national director for the Israel Sport Center for the Disabled.
Other prizes include Browns and 9Fest tickets and gift cards to various places in uptown Athens.
It’s a fun tournament whose goal is to help the center and shed some perspective on Israel, said Philip Ganson, sentinel for Alpha Epsilon Pi and a sophomore studying political science.
“Israel can sometimes be put in the media for something going wrong, but there are organizations out there doing good things,” Ganson said. “This is just for the kids.”
A video about one of the children will be shown, a donation box will be available for those who want to watch the tournament and Hillel will also have a bone marrow swab booth set up.
It is a touching event where people are going to see how one incident can change your entire life, said Melissa Friedman, president of Bobcats for Israel and a senior studying early childhood education
“It’s important for students at OU to get involved in something bigger than themselves,” Friedman said. “Students don’t realize the amount of impact they can have on others.”
ao007510@ohiou.edu
IYGB:
What: Hoops for Hope Basketball Tournament
When: 12:30 p.m. Sunday
Where: Ping Recreation Center
Admission: $30 to register team
