Cheering was not the only thing that occurred during the varsity basketball game last Tuesday, February 5, 2013. For those of you who didn’t attend the game, you would’ve seen a large array of homemade baked goods and purple t-shirts in the entry way of the athletic tower. During the game, Student Council, with the aid of Mr. Colin Hanley, set up a fundraiser to raise money for the 1 Million 4 Anna (1M4A) foundation.
Anna Basso was diagnosed in November 2009 with Ewing’s Sarcoma, a devastating disease that attacks and deteriorates the bones. She fought through an extensive series of chemotherapy and radiation treatments and emerged victorious. After facing a devastating relapse, she fought again. Although Anna was able to graduate from JP II, she did not live long enough to go to college, as she died on June 8th, 2011. Her parents, David and Carol Basso, as well as her sister, Patrice, created 1M4A in order to raise money for cancer awareness and more specifically, for kids and adults alike suffering from Ewing Sarcoma.
According to the 1M4A website, David and Carol Basso wrote: “During her battle with cancer, over a million prayers were pledged on her behalf. It seemed right, but also just natural, that Anna’s legacy should carry on through the people she connected with. Anna, too, had a dream for what her legacy could be. Rather than pass along burned CDs of music she found significant, or fill journals with her wit and wisdom, Anna wanted to be remembered through a foundation bent on finding ways to defeat this disease and helping those affected by it. With that in mind, we created the 1 Million 4 Anna Foundation in January of 2012.”
Mason Amelotte ´14, Co-Vice President of the junior class, organized the entire event. Mason said that he has “known the Basso family since elementary school, as Anna and I went to Prince of Peace Catholic School together. My family is also active in the JP II community where Anna graduated.” Mason thought that a varsity basketball game, which is known to attract large crowds of people, would be a great time and place to raise money for the foundation. Mason truly represented a Jesuit “Man for Others” when he said, “Initially, I was seeking an opportunity to develop my leadership capabilities; However, after working closely with Mrs. Basso in October when Student Council participated in the Children’s Hospital Red Balloon 5K, I realized that I was doing this almost out of necessity for the cause itself. I knew it was my responsibility as a Jesuit student to bring awareness to the foundation.”
It takes a lot of organization, scheduling, and time management in order to set up such a magnificent fundraiser. “After a few meeting with Athletic Coach Steve Koch and Basketball Coach Chris Hill, and the exchange of emails with Ms. Cheryl Woolnough, our ideas became reality. Organizing the fundraiser would not have been possible without the full support of Student Council and the Jesuit Athletic program,” said Mason.
At the fundraiser, Student Council, as well as a few other volunteers, helped sell 1M4A purple T-Shirts for $10 each, which everyone kindly sported that night, and they sold freshly baked goods baked by 12 Jesuit parents willing to help the cause. Student Council faculty moderator Mr. Hanley said that he “gives all the credit to the young men who allowed for all of this to happen that night.”
Overall, the fundraiser raised over $1,500, a far higher number than was originally expected. Thank you to all who attended the varsity game and supported 1M4A by donating money. If you would like to learn more about the foundation and the effects of Ewing Sarcoma, please visit https://www.1million4anna.org/.
