By Donna Ruhanen, Marketing Chair, The Community Fund of Bronxville Eastchester Tuckahoe, Inc.
On Sunday, October 14, The Community Fund hosted its first youth basketball tournament at the newly refurbished Main Street Basketball Courts in Tuckahoe. The event celebrated the revitalization of this popular recreational space and the role that Tuckahoe and The Community Fund played in helping finance the project, including a $15,000 discretionary grant made by The Community Fund to pay for the new court surface areas.
Bronxville, Eastchester, and Tuckahoe residents in 8th and 9th grade were invited to participate, and 12 teams signed up. A total of 44 students played in the high-energy tournament, which lasted 4 hours and drew over 150 spectators from all three municipalities.
Families and players enjoyed a beautiful day out, including a lively DJ, burgers cooked up by Eastchester Volunteer Ambulance Corp, and Eastchester Community Action Partnership drinks. The Village of Tuckahoe Police Department also donated sports bottles and athletic towels as giveaways for players and their families. Winners of the tournament were a team of 8th-graders from St. Joseph School, Ryan Burke, Tim Doheny, Owen Gaszo, and Connor Molloy.
Tuckahoe native and social media star Maxwell Pearce, famous for his dunking videos and new role as a Harlem Globetrotter, also came by to support the event, reflecting on the importance that the Main Street Courts have to the broader community: “The renovation of the courts is one of the best things that has happened to the community in a while. The Tuckahoe courts have become a common ground and a place for peace and joy for all the neighboring communities surrounding us. Endless thank-you to everyone who made this happen!”
Amy Korb, The Community Fund’s executive director, confirmed that this project and event symbolize the future direction of the fund. “The Community Fund sees the need to not only support those critical local agencies through yearly grants but also allow more flexibility for funds for capital improvement plans and community building events that bring together Bronxville, Eastchester, and Tuckahoe! As we approach our 100th anniversary, the fund wants to ensure that we are meeting all our residents’ needs.”
The Community Fund’s annual campaign during the fall is the principal source of fundraising each year. Its success determines the grant allocations distributed to the fund’s member agencies and community programs serving the residents of Bronxville 10708, Eastchester, and Tuckahoe.
