It was a day to shoot hoops and enjoy a barbecue lunch in memory of a high school student.
The Centre Wellington District High School in Fergus was the site of the Team Addy Family Fun Day on Saturday. The event served as a fundraiser for Angiosarcoma research at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children.
Addison Hill excelled at basketball but her aspirations were cut short after discovering she had a rare form of cancer in 2021. She received treatment and chemotherapy at Sick Kids but the cancer continued to progress.
Addy died on July 10, 2022, just two days after her 14th birthday.
“Addy was in the hospital at Sick Kids and she wanted to raise money for sarcoma research,” said Jessica Hill, Addison’s mom and one of the organizers of the event.
“I reached out to her basketball coach and I thought we could do a basketball game, lemonade stand, cotton candy and it spiraled to this amazing event.”
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This was the third year of the Team Addy event, which now features a 3-on-3 basketball tournament with teams from across Ontario including the Toronto area, Niagara region and Kirkland Lake.
“It is incredible how far and wide they have come,” Hill said. “The feedback has been amazing and new teams signed up this year have said they want to come back next year.”
In addition to the tournament, visitors enjoyed a number of carnival games, a firefighting demonstration, raffle, music, and a barbecue.
The fact that thousands came to the event on Saturday is a testament of Addy’s spirit and impact on the community according to Hill.
“It overflows my heart. I’ve been crying all day, all week,” she said. “To see everyone here for our family, for Team Addy, all the 150 volunteers … is overwhelming.”
Totals are still being tabulated from the event but all the money raised will go towards sarcoma research at Sick Kids hospital.
More information about Team Addy and how you can donate can be found by going to the Team Addy website.
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