VHS Students Create “Hoops for Henryville” Tournament to Raise Funds for Fellow Hoosiers

A group of Valparaiso High School seniors took action in response to the devastating storms that hit Henryville, Indiana on March 2nd, by creating a 3-on-3 basketball tournament to help raise funds for fellow Hoosiers in need.

The idea for “Hoops for Henryville” came soon after Phillip Russell, a senior at VHS, learned about the tornado outbreak taking place in the southern Indiana and Kentucky region.

“We have family down in Kentucky and I have some friends from camps down in Southern Indiana,” explained Russell, the key organizer of Hoops for Henryville. “I had been keeping track of the storms, and I had heard a school got hit pretty hard. The German Club had been looking for a fundraiser, and we just kind of came up with the idea.”

Choosing a charity basketball tournament as a way for Hoosiers to help Hoosiers certainly came into play when coming up with a fun way to do some good. “[The VHS Language Clubs] put on an ‘international’ soccer tournament as a fundraiser, so we were looking for something like that to do, because it’s a big hit. Obviously a ton of people like basketball.”

Over 100 people across 26 teams teams entered the tournament, with each player contributing $5 to the fundraiser as admission. The event was open to all students and faculty members, though several members of the community came to support the cause. Non-student teams were led by former Vikings stars like Scott Martin, who brought a few fellow Notre Dame basketball players with him, and Brent Kimmel, who formed a faculty team along with VHS stars like Ben Lieske and Jeanette Gray.

Many different groups at VHS, along with several company sponsors, have also come together for Hoops for Henryville, helping the fundraiser exceed its $3,000 goal heading into the day. “Different classes have sponsored, the IPR class (Interpersonal Relations) has been baking all week, so we’ve been raising money all week. It’s been a school-wide effort,” explained Russell.

There are also “Hoops for Henryville” t-shirts available, and several local businesses donated funds for the tournament.

The Hoops for Henryville fundraising will continue on Monday at the newly-opened Applebee’s in Valparaiso as well. Russell has coupons available, where 15% of your bill at Applebee’s will go directly to the cause. If you’re interested in one of these coupons, contact Phillip Russell at russ821@frontier.com

A special thank you goes to the corporate sponsors of the event, which included Centier, Don Qujiote Restaurant, Ortho Inc., Stevenson & Fairchild OMS, Family Express, McAfee Animal Hospital, McDonald's, BP, Town & Country, and Pharma-Card.

If you’re interesting in donating to the Hoops for Henryville fundraiser or purchasing a t-shirt for $15, contact Phillip Russell at 219.309.0209 or at russ821@frontier.com.