George Webb Memorial Basketball Tournament Raises $150,000 for Boys & Girls Club of Chicopee

 In Client Press Releases

Check presented after 13th annual event in March 

CHICOPEE— The founder of the George Webb Memorial Basketball Tournament was thrilled to meet the mark of raising $150,000 for the Boys & Girls Club of Chicopee after the 13th annual event for youth players this March.

Soon after the tournament wrapped up, founder Kevin B. Vann of The Vann Group of Springfield met with Jason Reed, club executive director, and Richard Bernard Jr., president of Pilgrim Interiors of Chicopee and a member of the club’s board of directors. Other board members and tournament supporters, volunteers, players and coaches were also in attendance when Vann presented an honorary check to the Chicopee Boys & Girls Club of Chicopee to represent the amount of money the event has raised since its founding in 2005.

The three-week basketball tournament was created by Vann to honor his best friend, the late George Webb, a basketball player and club supporter who died of cancer at age 52.

“These funds have greatly benefitted the Boys & Girls Club over the years,” said Jason Reed. “It supports the young people who are members here in many different ways.”

The Boys & Girls Club of Chicopee offers various activities to young people and serves 3,500 youths each year.

The tournament is the largest of its kind in Western Massachusetts and Northern Connecticut, this year drawing hundreds of spectators and players; this year it grew again with the addition of two new high school divisions—one for ninth and tenth graders, and one for eleventh and twelfth.

In keeping with Webb’s spirit, the basketball tournament is for teams of boys and girls aged 8 to 18 who are not top players and may not otherwise get to play in a tournament.

“What is remarkable about the Webb Tournament is that it has withstood the test of time,” Reed said. “We had 48 teams this year. Many of the older boys in the club don’t play ball in high school for a variety of reasons, but they can play here, and they love the game. They were able to practice on their own during teen nights at the club and then play together as a team here in the tournament.

“High school students also volunteer their time to help us run the tournament, whether it’s selling drinks and snacks or assisting the coaches,” Reed added. “This gives them an opportunity to do community service, which is something we encourage here.”

At the check presentation in the club’s gymnasium, Vann said, “The tournament is named after George Webb who was my best friend. George spent some years growing up in Chicopee and later returned to play basketball at the club in the new gym we built in 2007. He was extremely competitive, but more importantly driven by great sportsmanship win or lose!”

Bernard said, “Young people are our future. As a business owner in Chicopee, I like to support local organizations. I can see the difference the club makes in these young people’s’ lives. I know how hard it is for them to overcome what they have been given in life, and I have been very moved to see what they can accomplish with the help of the club. It gives me hope that they can overcome and succeed in life.”

For more information about the tournament or the Boys & Girls Club of Chicopee, visit www.bgcchicopee.org. For information on sponsorship opportunities for 2018, contact Ruth Griggs at (413) 727-3354 or email her at Ruth@rccomms.com.

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