Basketball Tournament Raises $ For Fire Victims
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - When Tim Lackner's Bloomfield residence caught on fire in late September, his neighbors and friends immediately began thinking of ways to raise money for the family.
Lackner, a 2010 graduate of Central Catholic High School, lived with his grandmother, uncle and brother on Edmond Street in Bloomfield.
The fire left them without a place to live.
Dave Waruszewski, Lackner's lifelong neighbor, said that the fire and devastation left him deeply concerned about what would happen to the family.
"I was the one who first noticed the house was on fire," Waruszewski said.
The Red Cross has provided the family with temporary housing until January as their Edmond Street residence undergoes repairs.
Waruszewski, among others, decided to put together a basketball tournament, called Hoops That Help, to raise money for the family who lost so much.
The idea for the fundraiser stemmed from Lackner's participation in basketball at Central Catholic and now at CCAC.
On Saturday, 28 teams, most of which did not even know the fire victims, met at Central Catholic High School to play basketball and raise money.
Each team paid $40 to enter the three-on-three tournament that began at 11 a.m. and wrapped up around 2 p.m.
Josh Weston, Lackner's friend, explained the success of the tournament.
"The last I heard, we made about $1,400," he said.
In addition to the tournament, there were also raffles and giveaways throughout the day including Pens' tickets, Pitt sporting gear and an autographed Lynn Swann Jersey.
All proceeds from the fundraiser will go directly to the victims.
