By Elizabeth Stieber
Times Staff Writer
Patrick Alminde is determined to sell more carnations for this year’s Baskets Against Brain Tumors basketball tournament. Last year, the 7-year-old raised $246 selling carnations at his siblings’ sports games.
He even carries a can he made to hold the money, a can that features little Connell Anastasi, the brother of his friend Brendan. Connell lost his life to a brain tumor.
Patrick tells people he does it “to help kids with brain tumors,” said his mom, Claire Alminde.
Patrick is just one of the many kids who make the annual Baskets Against Brain Tumors basketball tournament a successful community fund-raiser.
Basketball teams from local recreation centers and elementary and high schools come out to play in the tournament and support brain-tumor research and remember young Connell Anastasi.
Just after his second birthday, Connell, the youngest of Ann and Joseph Anastasi’s four children, was diagnosed with a brain tumor.
He spent months at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia undergoing surgery and aggressive chemotherapy.
However, the chemotherapy treatments destroyed his immune system. On March 20, 2001, at age 2, Connell succumbed to three infections and the cancerous tumor.
The Anastasis wanted to take steps to help children like Connell while keeping their son’s memory alive.
Two years ago, the family, along with St. Jerome’s Catholic Youth Organization, started Baskets Against Brain Tumors, a basketball tournament fund-raiser that benefits an endowment fund for brain-tumor research at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
The tournament is hosted by the Catholic Youth Organization at St. Jerome’s, the family’s parish and the children’s school.
CYO board members at St. Jerome’s came up with the idea for a tournament.
Connell’s siblings — Joseph, 12; Eireann, 10; and Brendan, 7 — play in the tournament with their basketball teams.
Each year, the event draws more support. About 300 people participated in last year’s tournament, which raised $6,000. That’s up $2,000 compared to the 2002 tournament.
“Hopefully, we’ll continue to do that. We’re hoping to be even bigger,” Ann Anastasi said.
This year’s Baskets Against Brain Tumors tournament is set for Saturday, May 8, at Ramp Playground, Rowland and Solly avenues. There will be five-on-five basketball games throughout the day for various age groups, a free-throw competition, a moon bounce and an auction.
The fee is $8 to play in the tournament and get a T-shirt, $1 to get five shots in the free-throw competition, and $5 for an all-day pass to the moon bounce.
North Catholic and Penn Charter high schools have each donated two free passes to their summer basketball camps for winners of the free-throw competition.
“It’s really a kid-oriented kind of a day,” Anastasi explained.
This year, Children’s Hospital representatives will attend St. Jerome’s CYO banquet to let everyone know how much the tournament raised.
Donna Esposito, a member of St. Jerome’s parish, volunteers for the tournament every year as a clown. She paints kids’ faces and makes balloon sculptures, and her son participates in the basketball games.
“The kids just have a blast,” she said. “It’s like a big block party for a good cause.”
Esposito, who often gives her time as a clown for various causes in the community, said helping out at the tournament “is the best thing I can do” to raise money to hopefully save another child’s life.
Patrick Alminde came up with the idea to help the Anastasis’ cause just before the first tournament, while he was attending his brother’s track meet.
He picked dandelions and walked up and down the bleachers at Northeast High School, selling them for the tournament. Patrick, who was 5 at the time, raised $14, which he gave to Ann Anastasi as soon as he got to the tournament.
Last year, his mom bought carnations for him to sell.
“He just loves to help,” said his mom. “He knows he’s helping sick kids.” ••
The Baskets Against Brain Tumors basketball tournament will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 8, at Ramp Playground on the 3300 block of Solly Ave. For more information, call Ann Anastasi at 215-624-9593.
Reporter Elizabeth Stieber can be reached at 215-354-3036 or estieber@phillynews.com