Hoops for Hope is an event conceived of three years ago by a former Garden City High School graduate, Tim O’Hanlon, and features the Garden City High School/Middle School Challenger basketball team.  Tim observed that Challenger basketball takes a back seat to the other sports teams in the district, and his goal was to bring attention and fans to the Challenger basketball team, and the Challenger program in general.  It’s also a charitable fundraiser:  all proceeds from Hoops for Hope benefit I’m Not Done Yet!

 

Now Michael and Katharine O'Hanlon are running Hoops for Hope.  The event incorporates the entire community:  the basketball team, cheerleaders, kick line, and various student clubs.  Sponsors from all over Garden City support the event, and on game day, there are many volunteers from both the high school and the middle school assisting with raffles, the bake sale, music, photography, supporting the Challenger players, and more.  Students from the primary schools through the high school attend the event, as do many community members who no longer have children in the schools. 

 

Hoops for Hope has become a big success:  the last pre-Covid event in Feb. 2020 raised over $19,000 for I'm Not Done Yet!  But the most important part of Hoops for Hope, is having the gym full of spectators of every age to watch and cheer for the players and knowing that the Challenger players and their families are excited and proud to be the highlight of the day.