STANWOOD — Courtney Collins and Sarah Nakken know how to make a basket count.
Courtney, 18, who played for Stanwood High School’s varsity girls basketball team, and Sarah, 17, who shares a leadership class with Courtney, are using their skills on and off the court to help plan a basketball fundraiser.
The event is the annual Hoops for Davis tournament that raises funds for the Davis Carlson Memorial Fund at the Stanwood-Camano Area Foundation.
This year’s Hoops for Davis fundraiser, set for March 21, has the girls running as they and their fellow leadership class students organize four basketball games, a visit by Seattle SuperSonics mascot Squatch, a kids’ carnival and a raffle.
“It’s for a great cause,” Courtney said.
The memorial fund supports a scholarship awarded each year to a graduating Stanwood High School senior recognizing community service. In addition, proceeds from this year’s Hoops for Davis will go to the memorial fund to help build a community recreation center with a focus on young people, Stanwood teacher Garry Carlson said.
The fund and the fundraising event are named for Carlson’s son Davis, who died Dec. 25, 2005, at the age of 11 after fighting cancer. During Davis’ illness, the Stanwood-Camano community supported his family in many ways, Carlson said.
Hoops for Davis is about giving back to that community and celebrating Davis’ life with an effort to build a center for kids, Carlson said.
“Stanwood is a 4A school and the area is growing, but we still act like a small town,” Carlson said. “We need to give kids a place to go instead of hanging out in the parking lot between McDonald’s and Haggen.”
After organizing Hoops for Davis himself for a couple years, Carlson has stepped aside to let the Stanwood High School leadership class take control. Advised by English teacher Jeanne Kelly, the class works hard to keep the event going strong, Carlson said.
“Giving the responsibility to the leadership class has been a good decision, and Courtney and Sarah are making it happen,” he said.
Hosting a fundraiser with four basketball games is no small feat and it’s taken months to prepare, with the girls assigning tasks among their fellow classmates.
The games include one among teachers, another among school alumni, one that pits the juniors against the seniors and another for fifth graders, because Davis was a fifth-grader when he died.
“Our main goal with Hoops for Davis is not just to fill the bleachers and make money,” Courtney said. “It’s to make the community aware of the mission. A new community center is something that can pull us all together.”
Their adviser calls seniors Sarah and Courtney compassionate, intelligent and always ready to volunteer.
“In leadership class, the students learn by doing and then apply those lessons to life,” Kelly said. “That’s the power of the program. We’re a very tight-knit group.
Sarah, daughter of Carrie and Jeff Nakken of Stanwood, has been a member of the leadership class since she moved to the area from Kentucky in her sophomore year. She said she has enjoyed being part of class projects that have included blood drives, food bank fundraisers and interaction with students with special needs.
“In leadership, we learn more than what you might find in a textbook,” Sarah said. “It provides insights for the rest of your life. We quickly learn that helping others gives you 10 times more satisfaction than putting yourself first.”
Sarah, who plans to attend community college before heading to the University of Washington, is unsure about a future career except that it will include helping people.
Courtney, the daughter of Tim and Judy Collins of Camano Island, plans to earn a teaching degree at Western Washington University.
“I want to be someone like Jeanne Kelly and be able to show my students that it’s rewarding to get involved in your school and your community,” Courtney said. “It’s so inspirational.”
Along with Courtney and Sarah, other Stanwood High School leadership student volunteers include Erika Aldridge, Sly Alfonso, Tucker Anderson, Melissa Autery, Stephany Backstrom, Hannah Booth, Briana Bowers, Gabrielle Brokaw, Kara Callaghan, Jade Claxton, Kevin Cooper, Laine Daly, Courtnee Demers, Carrie Eidsness, Chrissy Freedman, Nathan Haugen, Courtney Hicks, Caitlin Hoover, Drew Kidd, Kami Kitchen, Alex Mitchell, Hannah Stevens, Ben Ulrich and Cortney Whitcher.
Hoops for Davis coming March 21
The third annual Hoops for Davis fundraising event is set for 6 p.m. March 21 in the Stanwood High School gym, 7400 272nd St. NW, Stanwood. The community event includes four basketball games, entertainment by Seattle SuperSonics mascot Squatch, food, carnival games for kids and raffle prizes. Tickets are $4 each or $10 for a family ticket. For information, call 360-629-1300, ext. 2214.
Reporter Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427 or gfiege@heraldnet.com.
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