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Sergeant's Raiders to hit the court

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It’s a pick up game of basketball for a good cause.

That’s how organizers are describing their Sat., April 26 event at the high school that will honour a recently fallen teacher.

The game will be played for fun, but it’s also a fundraiser for a scholarship being set up in the name of Brad Sergeant, a beloved DDSS math teacher who died of cancer in January age 54.

Sergeant was a basketball enthusiast. He coached teams at DDSS and was a player on a high school team in his hometown of Tillsonburg that won an Ontario title.

The event, dubbed Sergeant’s Raiders Memorial Basketball Game, will be followed by a slide show of Brad’s life and a barbecue.

The day will provide an opportunity for those who knew Brad to mingle, talk, and share memories, said Kaela Van Wynsberghe, a former DDSS student who had Sergeant as a teacher and basketball coach.

The event is important, say organizers, because Sergeant was well known and well liked in Delhi. Not everybody, they noted, could get to the funeral or visitation.

Sarge, as he was known, taught at DDSS for 30 years and was known for his dedication to students.

If they needed help after school he was there (even if he wasn’t their teacher) and he always showed interest in the lives of young people, even students he barely knew who he passed in the hallway, said organizers.

“He was awesome,” said co-organizer Mandie Marques, 34. “He even helped me when I didn’t have him as a teacher.”

Van Wynsberghe, 29, had him as a basketball coach and credits him with helping her to build self-confidence.

“I was nervous. I was always the shy girl,” she said. “He always encouraged me to try out and do his best.

“He touched our lives in such positive ways. We asked ourselves what could we give back.”

Marques and Van Wynsberghe said the game will also serve as a tribute to Sergeant’s family — to let them know how many much their father and husband was liked and respected.

Organizers are looking for players as well as volunteers to help run the day. They also need sponsors and donations of food and a barbecue.

The game will start at 1 p.m. Anyone interested in being involved can call Mandie Marques at 519-718-4719 or by email at crazy_soccer_chic@hotmail.com or by calling Kaela Van Wynsberghe at 226-567-5327 or by email at kaevanwynsberghe@hotmail.com.

 

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