Waterbury Basketball Tournament To Help Local Youth Had Saint Mary’s Support

October 21, 2024

In July, hundreds of youngsters from Waterbury and cities around the state descended on the Brass City to play basketball. The Hoop to Help Tournament is a home-grown community initiative that works to provide school children with brand new backpacks and school supplies. In its ninth season, the tournament has become a highly anticipated event for local youth and organizers.

Husnain Kermalli, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, KIm Kalajainen, President, Paul Gladding, Manager of Materials and Shawna Edwards, MSN, RN, Chief Nursing Officer, share a photo holding Hoop to Help t-shirts & plaque.

Hoop to Help was founded by three childhood friends, one of whom is a long time Saint Mary’s colleague. Paul Gladding, Manager of Materials, is a Waterbury native who, along with his friends, wanted to give back to their community. They thought that the best way to engage young people was to create an environment that would excite them, something like a basketball tournament!

“You get the kids off the street by giving them an avenue to stay busy,” said Gladding. “The tournament is a win, win. By joining the tournament, the kids in turn are helping to provide other kids with the tools to help them be better prepared for the school year.”

Saint Mary’s served as the T-shirt sponsor this year ensuring that the teams’ entry fees went to the backpacks and not to expenses. Since the start of the annual event, several colleagues have provided support by volunteering for the day.

Held at the Waterbury Police Activity League (PAL) recreational facility, the Hoop to Help Tournament welcomed teams from Danbury, Hartford, New Haven and Bridgeport. This year, the tournament raised enough to provide 1,000 brand new backpacks to Waterbury school children. During the first week of the school year, the Hoop to Help founders visited about a dozen schools. Saint Mary’s President, Kim Kalajainen, joined Gladding for several school visits in September.