When people think of the word ‘community,’ they think of friends and family coming together for a common purpose or goal.
But community means more than that. Community speaks to the power of a unifying cause, one that inspires individuals to volunteer, participate and get involved in any way they can.
In the case of the Nechvatal family, that cause is raising awareness and funds for Cystic Fibrosis (CF) research—an initiative the Saskatchewan Rattlers were proud to support this year.
It all began when Katarina Nechvatal attended a local chapter meeting for Cystic Fibrosis Canada.
Katarina sat and listened to the blueprint for a variety of fundraising events that were charted for 2010, but she could not help but notice one common theme—the lack of a physical exercise component.
“The disease was new to us as our son, Dominic, was just a few months old. But with physical activity being a big part of CF care—in order to help keep the lungs healthy—I found myself asking what more could be done,” Nechvatal said.
The Nechvatals are a family of six—two sons and two daughters. The family’s two boys, Dominic and Ben, live with CF, which is the most commonly inherited fatal disease affecting young Canadians. Roughly one in every 3,600 children born in Canada has CF, according to Cystic Fibrosis Canada.
After the meeting at her local chapter, Katarina proposed an idea to her husband Shaun: To start a 3-on-3 basketball tournament with proceeds going towards CF research and care.
It didn’t take long for the dinner table conversation to turn into something much more. Fast forward eight years and the Hoops for Hope tournament is a staple on the calendars of participants across Saskatchewan and beyond.
“I pictured a couple of courts, groups of friends getting together and shooting hoops for a good time. Before we knew it, we were in the parking lot of a high-traffic mall in town and we started getting some corporate sponsors. My husband and I are both teachers and we didn’t even know what a corporate sponsor was! We were just thrown into it and were consumed,” Nechvatal remembered with a laugh.
The outlook for living with CF has made remarkable progress in recent decades thanks to the work of Cystic Fibrosis Canada and charitable initiatives like Hoops for Hope. In the 1960s, parents were warned that a child diagnosed with CF would not live long enough to attend kindergarten. Today, parents are told to plan for a brighter future of adulthood and an active lifestyle for their child.
Hoops for Hope has raised more than $320,000 since the first event in 2010. For Brad Kraft, director of business operations for the Saskatchewan Rattlers, the opportunity to reach out and support the event last weekend was an easy choice.
“It was a no-brainer for us to be involved in it because it’s for a great cause and they’re a great family with an important story that should be understood by everyone,” Kraft said.
“It’s an event that’s grown so much and has helped the CF community make notable strides. They’re making a tangible difference and the Rattlers are fully behind them.”
As part of contributing to the event, the Rattlers donated bronze season tickets, which served as the prize for the runner-up to the grand prize draw.
Although the event attracts a wide breadth of talent, from beginners to high-level players, such as members of the Saskatchewan Huskies, Nechvatal said that the event is welcome to all players and truly is a grassroots initiative. The event as a whole is organized solely by volunteers who are parents of children with CF. Furthermore, funds raised go towards supporting 42 CF clinics in Canada, three of which are in Saskatchewan, as well as supporting access to education regarding living with CF, as well as new treatments and therapies.
“The biggest thing for our family is how much the entire community has gotten behind the concept of Hoops for Hope. We are the main organizers, but we always say that without the businesses backing us and without the volunteers and players, we just wouldn’t exist,” Nechvatal said.
“It’s not just about elite basketball players, which there are a lot of in Saskatchewan, but we welcome all players and it was great to have the Rattlers help that platform this year.”
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