STEUBENVILLE — A Bishop John King Mussio Junior High School student has organized an initiative to raise funds during upcoming basketball games that will benefit the memorial foundation of a fellow student who the games will be dedicated to.
The fundraiser, organized by BJKM eighth-grader and Junior Crusader Lauren Hall, will take place during a tripleheader on Thursday, beginning at 5:30 p.m. when the Junior Crusader boys and girls teams take on the Junior Dons of Weirton Madonna. The games will be held at the former Aquinas Elementary School’s gymnasium at 625 Lovers Lane, Steubenville.
All proceeds from a 50-50 drawing, which will be drawn at halftime of the eighth-grade boys game, and a bake sale will benefit the Cynthia Rose Phillipson Charitable Foundation.
The charitable foundation’s namesake, Cynthia Phillipson, was a Catholic Central High School freshmen and former Junior Crusader. She died on Nov. 2, 2014, as the result of cardiac arrest suffered during a basketball practice. A Royalette with the CCHS marching band, Phillipson is remembered as the “Angel of the Class of 2018.”
One of the foundation’s events is its annual lantern ceremony held at Austin Lake Park in Toronto, where individuals decorate a memorial lantern for a deceased family member and send it out onto the lake. In attendance at the third-annual ceremony on Oct. 26 was Lauren Hall, who said the remembrance gave her the idea to dedicate a game to Phillipson’s memory.
“I went, and I saw how many people love Cynthia and miss her, so I thought this could be something nice to do,” said Hall, who was in elementary school at the time of Phillipson’s death.
Having played basketball for about seven years, Hall said fundraisers for Phillipson’s charitable foundation — including movie nights, swim parties and intramural games — have typically occurred at school and not within the context of a basketball game.
So, Hall said, she thought it would be a perfect opportunity to honor Phillipson’s memory at a game, particularly against another Catholic school so the teams can offer a group prayer.
Players in the games will be wearing purple wristbands during the fundraiser, Hall said, with purple being Phillipson’s favorite color. The drawing and bake sale will be aided by parents of the Junior Crusaders.
Hall initially pitched the idea to her coach, David Antonelli, her parents and the school, all of whom gave her the green light. Afterward, she reached out to Todd and Carol Phillipson, Cynthia Phillipson’s parents and co-chairs of the charitable foundation, who also gave her permission to proceed.
Founded in 2015, the foundation helps to fund academic scholarships for BJKM and CCHS graduates, as well as graduates of other Jefferson County high schools who hope to attend college. In addition, the foundation supports the Ohio-based Cornerstone of Hope, which provides counseling to grieving families.
The foundation also raises funds for Mary’s Meals, a charity that Cynthia Phillipson had supported previously and that provides meals for schoolchildren in poor communities. Because of support from CCHS — raising enough funds to support a kitchen — a school kitchen in Africa was named after Phillipson, and it is currently being relocated to a school serving 412 students in the country of Malawi.
Todd Phillipson recalled how his daughter was a “giving, fun-loving” person who was loved by many. An organ donor, Cynthia Phillipson was able to light up a room with her stories. She also played basketball since the age of 8, playing under Antonelli and her father as coaches while a Junior Crusader in seventh and eighth grade.
Antonelli retired Cynthia Phillipson’s No. 4 jersey after her death, and a memorial banner hangs in the Aquinas gym.
Todd Phillipson thanked Antonelli, BJKM and Madonna for their support of Hall’s efforts, which he said are “very inspiring.”
“We keep Cynthia’s memory alive through the foundation and through the (Mary’s Meals) kitchen project,” Todd Phillipson said. “To have a young person inspired like (Hall) means a lot to us.”
Antonelli spoke from his experience as Cynthia Phillipson’s coach, saying that she led by example. He is proud of the other girls, who are working hard to follow in her footsteps of leadership.
One of the most important virtues the basketball program works to instill in the Junior Crusaders is leadership, Antonelli said. A unique way the players foster that is by writing a word that describes what the team means to them on a poster board before each practice.
“(The fundraiser) was a great opportunity to work with Mr. and Mrs. Phillipson on what I believe is the most important cause we have on our schedule this year,” Antonelli said, referencing other groups and organizations the Junior Crusaders will support, including emergency responders and individuals in religious life.
Hall didn’t know Cynthia Phillipson personally, but she and her teammates have kept her memory alive in an indirect way: Their callouts. It’s tradition, Hall said, to invoke the prayers of saints at the end of a game or practice. Among those vocally asked for prayers by the Junior Crusaders are St. Sebastian, patron of athletes; Mary, Our Lady of Victory; all the angels and saints and Cynthia Phillipson — a tradition held since her death.
Hall said she wants to see a “full gym” for the fundraiser, adding, “I hope that a lot of people show up and see this because I want it to be more than just the parents of the players. It would be really nice if people come and watch us play and support (the foundation.)”
For information on the Cynthia Rose Phillipson Charitable Foundation or to donate, visit cynthiaphillipson.org/ or its Facebook page.
