Basketball tourney to help kids

The beating of hearts and the bouncing of basketballs will be heard throughout the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation's Wildermuth Gym Sunday as Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity will hold its first annual Bounce for Beats 3-on-3 basketball tournament to support the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS foundation.\nTwenty-seven teams signed up for the event, which will be a double-elimination bracketed tournament. The winners of the tournament will receive prizes, such as gift certificates from TIS Bookstore, Panera Bread and Best Buy.\nEvery chapter of Sigma Alpha Mu creates some sort of a charity event using the topic of bouncing basketballs, Publications Chair Andy Trus said. \n"Last year, we were just bouncing basketballs outside on the street in front of the library," Trus said. "We stood there with tin cans hoping people would drop money in, and we still managed to raise a couple hundred bucks. This year, we decided to take it one step up and make a name for ourselves, so here we are."\nThe fraternity has been planning and notifying the public about the tournament for the past several months. \n"We spoke to the people at our charity, handed out fliers, spoke to sponsors, tried to get parents involved and told people about the tournament by word-of-mouth through classes and professors," Philanthropy Chair Lawrence Hurwick said. \nParticipant Audrey Anderson said she saw the flier that was given to her sorority and decided to make a team with two of her sisters in Alpha Gamma Delta, hence, their team name -- Alpha G-Unit.\nAnderson said she signed up for the tournament because she loves basketball, has friends in Sigma Alpha Mu and wanted to support the philanthropy.\n"Although I don't know a lot about the Pediatric AIDS foundation, I think it is an excellent cause that does not get enough attention," Anderson said. "AIDS is such a tragic disease, especially in children, and this cause should be given much support."\nEvery brother and candidate will help work this event.\n"Brothers and pledges will be selling pizza, working security, refereeing games, manning the scoreboards, helping out with the disc jockey and giving general help when anyone needs it," Hurwick said.\nHurwick said the fraternity hopes to raise between $2,000 and $3,000, all of which will go to the Pediatric AIDS foundation. Although this is the first year for the event, the fraternity has helped this nationally-recognized charity for over ten years.\nThe Pediatric AIDS foundation was started in 1988 by Elizabeth Glaser and two of her friends when they learned Glaser and her two children were all HIV-positive. Although Glaser and one of her children have passed on, Glaser's husband Paul now continues to run the foundation.\nCelebrities including David Arquette and Courtney Cox Arquette also contribute to the fight against Pediatric AIDS, and even the current reality television show "The Apprentice" has raised money for the cause.\nThe tournament kicks off at noon Sunday. Admission for those who want to watch the games is $2, and pizza will be available for purchase. There will also be door prizes.\n"I'm really excited," Trus said. "I'm anticipating a huge turnout and a lot of money going toward a great cause."\n-- Contact staff writer Lori Snow at losnow@indiana.edu.