Fielder’s Choice - Barry Burleson


Thursday, March 1, 2007
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Fielder’s Choice
By Barry Burleson

Special cause

There was an important basketball tournament going on last week at Brookhaven Academy.

High school teams, including Marshall Academy, were competing for the ultimate crown, a state championship. But the games were not nearly as important as what was going on at a small table over in one corner of John R. Gray Gymnasium.

The table had stuffed elephants on top with a request for a $10 donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. One of the signs above the table urged support for Bradley Reece, a sophomore at Marshall Academy who is a patient at St. Jude.

Lucy Watts, a Brookhaven Academy alum, was manning the table Friday night during the MA-Brookhaven boys’ contest. About 150 elephants had already been sold, she said.

“We actually found out about Bradley after the Marshall Academy people got here (to the tournament),” she said. “It’s a neat thing for us to help.”

Therese Apel, former MA teacher and now a staff writer for The Daily Leader in Brookhaven, wrote a story prior to the tournament about this special cause.

It’s reprinted here.

Brookhaven Academy plays host to the State AA Basketball Tournament starting today, but school officials are not looking at it as just a tournament.

“We’re looking at this as a chance to really help with a cause,” said Lindy Gray, who is organizing the tournament. “This is a basketball tournament, but our mission is to share the idea of unity and to glorify God for blessing us.”

The theme for the tournament is “Welcome to the Big Show,” and the decorations feature circus images. Gray was shopping in Target one day when she saw a chance to tie together basketball and charity.

“I saw these little Ty beanie baby elephants with tags on them that said $1.50 would go to St. Jude’s for every elephant sold,” she said. “I realized it would go great with our circus theme.”

So Gray got on the phone with Target and St. Jude’s and rounded up as many of the leftover beanie babies as she could find. They will be sold at the tournament, with all proceeds to go directly to St. Jude’s.

“They’ll be on sale at the south end of the gym,” said Gray. “Anyone can buy them, but there are limited quantities.”

Gray said she knew she was on the right track when the decorating crew was putting up the circus effects in the gym, and the pizza they ordered from Domino’s Pizza came in boxes that had the St. Jude’s logo on the side.

“St. Jude’s is just such an important cause,” said Gray. “I’m just glad we were able to put this all together to benefit them. We want to help any way we can.”

The stuffed elephants aren’t the only St. Jude’s link, either. There is a possibility of St. Jude’s patients sharing their stories at halftime and between the games.

“We’re also hoping to have a visit from Big Al, the mascot from the University of Alabama,” said Gray, who went on to say Big Al could visit on Friday or Saturday, depending on if flight arrangements could be made.

Gray and other officials are excited about the games, which take place tonight, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, but still they see the charity work as the bigger picture.

“We’re not a Christian school as such,” said Gray, “But we do have our mission statement based on spiritual values. We really want to use this as a chance for the state to see what Brookhaven Academy stands for.”

The Leake girls and the Brookhaven boys won state championships Saturday. I know those trophies were special.

But there so many things more important than basketball - and none more important than the treatment and research going on at St. Jude Children’s Hospital just up the road in Memphis, Tenn.

Thanks to Brookhaven Academy for reminding us.

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