A non-profit organization based in North York is hosting a basketball tournament event Sunday to help raise money for toys to distribute within their community.
A Baller’s Cause is a non-profit organization founded by Patrick Sinclair, PJ Palacpac, Jomar Lafrades, Brian Duran and Dominic Balasta. It originally started in 2019 to raise money for an orphanage in the Philippines that was affected by a typhoon.
Sinclair said this tournament will be the first attempt at having a toy drive. The tournament will accept donations of toys to enter the event, or a minimum of $5 entry fee in order to buy more toys to give away.
The organization was supposed to be a one-time thing with just a charity component, until they needed a name for a tournament they hosted and decided to call it A Baller’s Cause. “Baller” is another term for a basketball player.
“We figured running a tournament would not only be one of the best avenues for funding, but it would be a great way to build relationships within the community,” Sinclair said.
The tournament ended up raising funds for future events such as basketball clinics and now toys.
Once COVID-19 had happened, the team changed their minds and decided to do more charitable work, such as shoe drives and local basketball camps for kids.
“It just naturally became non-profit organization in our neighbourhood,” Sinclair said. “We try to create organized sport opportunities for local kids who may not have access to do [them].”
In September, A Baller’s Cause did a back-to-school program which provided the kids with school supplies and free haircuts.
According to Sinclair, the team enjoys being around the game of basketball, which is why it became the basis of their organization.
Tournament for toy drive
In the last tournament, A Baller’s Cause raised just over four thousand dollars to host more free basketball clinics to the youth, such as their Back To School Initiative on Labour Day.
Jvenz Lafrades, a player for team Water Boys in the upcoming tournament, said he is ready to support the movement and help kids in his community and put on a great show.
“I’m looking forward to playing some competitive basketball and to just try my best to put on a show and help my team to win,” Lafrades said.
The tournament will have eight teams competing in a round-robin system in two different pools. The best teams from each pool will then compete against one another to be crowned the winner.
Lafrades said that all teams are both excited and ready to put on a show for the event.
The winners will receive a custom t-shirt that is exclusive to them and the dunk contest winner will win $100.
The dunk contest will happen just before the final game during the break after the round-robin games.
A Baller’s Cause wants attendees to enjoy the event as much as possible while also managing the tournament to end at a timely manner.
“We try to keep the tournament as condensed as possible,” Sinclair said. “So it’s more of an event than just a tournament.”
What’s next for A Baller’s Cause?
After the tournament for the toy drive, A Baller’s Cause plans to have a basketball house league around the Bathurst St. and Wilson Ave. area, to give kids the opportunity to play official basketball games without having to pay.
“We feel like a lot of our services is targeted for kids at a base level, not anyone too competitive,” Sinclair said. “Just so that we’re giving people a taste of the sport and being able to develop some relationships with people in the community and just feel more welcome.”
The toys from Sunday’s drive will be distributed to kids who attend the event and will be donated to Our Lady of Assumption Parish.
Vendors will provide multiple services such as food, haircuts, apparel and even real-estate help. Vendors will also be having a raffle of items they’ve donated.
The Baller’s Cause tournament will be held at Marshall McLuhan Catholic Secondary School, 1107 Avenue Road on Dec. 3 starting at 6 p.m. until 10 p.m.
Team registrations are now closed. People who would like to attend can pay the entry fee of $5 or donate a new toy.