Our program featured Lew Fish who has chaired our Jack Bennett Basketball Tournament for many years. The event began in 1997 and was the brainchild of Easton Rotarian John Leone. The varsity games were played at Lafayette College which was a fantastic opportunity for the players. NCAA rules eventually forced the games out of Lafayette, and they are now played at Easton Middle School.
Lew shared the recent financial history of the Tournament which showed that profits have been down in recent years due to our inability to cultivate sponsors. One problem is that we wait too long to start approaching sponsors. Many corporate budgets run out of charitable funds long before our year-end Tournament. We need to start approaching sponsors early in 2024. The 2021 Tournament was also a problem because of the Easton Boys having to back out, which severely impacted our revenue from ticket sales. A Google sheet will be circulated featuring potential sponsors. Club members are asked to input their names next to companies they volunteer to approach. Additional potential sponsors can be added as well.
This year’s event will feature Girls teams from Easton, Phillipsburg, Freedom, and Emmaus. The Boys side will have Easton, Phillipsburg, Freedom, and Hatboro- Horsham. Volunteers will be needed during the Tournament to sell tickets. Only four volunteers are necessary per shift. The Jack Bennett Classic is scheduled for December 27-28.
Comments