WINONA LAKE – For someone wanting to watch basketball and help a worthy cause at the same time, the Orthopaedic Capital Center is the place to be this weekend. Grace College’s men’s basketball team, along with the women’s team for the second straight year, is hosting its annual tournament to benefit the Kosciusko County Cancer Care Fund. There will be four games Friday and four more Saturday. And once again, the tournament is being played in memory of the late Terry Polston, a Warsaw DARE officer who died from cancer. “This is such a giving community,” said Grace College men’s basketball coach Jim Kessler. “This is something we do every year as way to give back to the community and help someone in need. We all know somebody affected by cancer, and the KCCCF is a very, very worthy cause.” The Lancers and the K21 Health Foundation have teammed up for the tournament since 2001. “I love this community, and this is something we enjoy doing,” said Kessler. “I have a grandaughter who has cancer. Like I said, we all know somebody affected by it. We do a thing at the tournament every year where we invite cancer survivors to come out on the court. And then we invite those who have a family member or friend with cancer. By the end of it, every body is on the court. It affects us all.” Admission to the tournament is $5 per person, which allows the person to watch both days of basketball. On Friday, the Indiana Wesleyan women’s team will play Union (Ky.) at 2 p.m, followed by Huntington’s men’s team playing Robert Morris at 4 p.m. The Lady Lancers will play Rochester at 6 p.m Friday, followed by Grace’s men’s team playing Missouri Baptist at 8 p.m. On Saturday, IWU and Rochester’s women’s team tip off at 10 a.m., followed by the Huntington and Missouri Baptist men at noon. The Grace College women will play Union at 2 p.m. Saturday, followed by the Lancers and Robert Morris at 4 p.m. Kessler said even he, his coaching staff and players, will pay $5 each for the tournament, and they are encouraging the other participants to do the same. According to the K21 Health Foundation’s website, the KCCCF provides assistance to financially-eligible residents of Kosciusko County who are suffering from cancer. The purpose of the fund is to relieve some of the financial strain that often accompanies that dreaded diagnosis. The assistance provided includes but is not limited to items such as rent or mortgage payments, utilities, insurance, food, car payment and prescription medications. The website also says that in 2010 the KCCCF provided financial assistance to more than 100 Kos. County cancer paties and their families. The KCCCF disbursed nearly $125,000 to local cancer patients in 2010.
