The 11th anniversary Twin Cities Hoop-a-thon to raise funds for Huntington’s Disease medical research will be held Sunday, March 9, from 1-4 p.m. at Falcon Ridge Middle School in Apple Valley, located at 12900 Johnny Cake Ridge Road. Hoop-a-thon is a basketball-oriented fundraising event that was created 11 years ago by B.J. Viau of Apple Valley after his mom, Deb, was diagnosed with Huntington’s Disease.

Now a junior basketball player at University of St. Thomas in Saint Paul, B.J. is still raising funds in order to help find a cure for this devastating disease. B.J. and his sister, Emily, each have a 50 percent chance of developing HD, a hereditary, degenerative brain disorder for which there is, at present, no effective treatment or cure. HD slowly diminishes an affected individual’s ability to walk, think, talk and reason. Eventually, a person with HD becomes totally dependent upon others for his or her care. Huntington’s Disease profoundly affects the lives of entire families — emotionally, socially and economically — and more than 2,500 persons in Minnesota have been diagnosed with the disease.

In addition to participants shooting free throws to raise funds (last year 13,500 free throws were made!), there will be music and games, a silent auction, face painting and complimentary Culver’s custard. Students from Eastview High School in Apple Valley will also volunteer at the event.

More than 500 people attended Hoop-a-thon 2007, and nearly $500,000 has been raised for HD medical research at this event during the last 10 years. Our goal is to raise $50,000 during this year’s Hoop event. Each person registering with at least $20 in pledges or donations will receive a Hoop-a-thon T-shirt, and those with $30 or more in pledges or donations will receive a T-shirt and gift bag.

For more information about the event, go to www.hoopathon.com. For more information about the disease, go to www.hdsa.org or www.hdsa-mn.org. Please consider donating now!