Basketball Tournament Will Raise Funds For Cancer In Chatham

CHATHAM, NJ — A fun sporting event happening in Chatham to help fight childhood cancer is just a couple of months away.

The Chatham B+ Club is carrying on the work it began last year by raising funds to assist the families of children fighting cancer.

Last year, the B+ Club and the Chatham Basketball Club teamed up to host the first-ever Chatham Be Positive 3v3 Basketball Tournament Fundraiser. All funds raised went to the B+ Foundation, which assists families of children with cancer.

The second-ever 3v3 Basketball Tournament Fundraiser is now being planned for 2023, and will take place on Aug. 19, officials said.

The tournament will feature four total teams and will be held on the newly resurfaced Garden Park basketball courts next to Chatham Middle School.

Teams will be made up of rising 6th to 8th graders and rising 9th to 12th graders, with separate boys and girls teams.

During the 2022 tournament, the club was able to raise approximately $13,000 for the B+ Foundation, which was founded in memory of Andrew McDonough, who died of leukemia when he was 14 years old.

The B+ Foundation is the nation's largest provider of financial assistance to families of children with cancer, assisting nearly 3,000 families this year. In addition, the B+ Foundation promotes childhood cancer research, lobbying for funding, and spreading the B+ message: "It's not a grade. It's an attitude."

The Chatham Be Positive Club was founded in 2022 by Chatham High School sophomore, Mark Pasacreta.

“When I learned about the B+ Foundation, it struck me that Andrew McDonoughcould have been any of us. We wanted to give to a meaningful cause and create a fun event for the Chatham community,” Pasacreta said.

To sign up for the fundraising event, go to www.chathambepositive.org/signup.