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 13^th 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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CHICOPEE—Daimian Ocasio was 3 when he got hooked on basketball. He found a ball on the floor of his house and taught himself to dribble.

Now, at 14, he plays forward center as a starter for the Hampden Charter School of Science’s high school team. An eighth grader, and the youngest member of the team, Ocasio knows basketball is doing more than improving his reputation.

“Basketball helps me to be a better person. I’m always in the gym, playing basketball, so it keeps me out of trouble,” he said. “It helps me.”

Ocasio is one of roughly 500 young people who will take part in the 13th Annual George Webb Memorial Basketball Tournament to benefit the Boys & Girls Club, beginning March 10.

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

This year marks Ocasio’s fourth tournament, and he’s excited to play at an event that raises money for the Boys & Girls Club because it has nurtured him as a player—and as a young man. Last year, Ocasio took the bus there every day after school to play basketball.

“The coaches were so nice. They pushed me to get better at basketball. They were always there for me, no matter what,” he said. “If I was down, they would always bring me back up. They’d say, ‘Come on Daimian, you got this!’ and that would help me get better.”

The tournament is sponsored by The Vann Group of Springfield, a professional services outsourcing company headed by Kevin B. Vann. The three-week event was created by Vann in 2005 to honor his best friend, the late George Webb, who died of cancer at age 52.

“I am proud and humbled to say that we are nearing the $150,000 mark in funds raised from our tournament supporters from Chicopee and across the region to support the Boys & Girls Club,” Vann said. “I love this tournament as much as I did the day I founded it.”

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 wouldn’t otherwise get to play in a tournament.

“Since the tournament’s start in 2005, thousands of young people have had the chance to play a sport and learn life lessons in the process,” Vann said.

The Boys & Girls Club website, on its tournament page, highlights that Webb played basketball at the club on Tuesday evenings, and “He will be remembered for being a tireless competitor on both ends of the court. He loved playing defense and rebounding as much as he loved his outside shots. He very seldom lost a match-up or game, but, when he did, he showed true sportsmanship to whoever he was playing against.”

For more information about the tournament, visit www.bgcchicopee.org. For information on sponsorship opportunities, contact Ruth Griggs at (413) 727-3354 or email her at Ruth@rccomms.com.

To learn about the Boys & Girls Club of Chicopee, visit its website at www.bgcchicopee.org.

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