Fountain Valley : Basketball Benefits Boys & Girls Club

Six years ago, Glenn (Wink) Williams and his buddies started shooting hoops in his driveway for fun.

“The first three years, it was just the guys getting together and playing,” said Williams, 34, of Huntington Beach.

But Williams said he wanted someone else to prosper from their fun and games.

In the last three years, the basketball games have turned into fund-raising tournaments for the Boys & Girls Club of Huntington Valley, which serves Fountain Valley and Huntington Beach.

This year, the Two on Two Tournament held July 3 and 4 raised $1,500 for the club, which is headquartered here.

Williams said that in the last three years the tournament, in which teams of two play elimination rounds, has netted the local club $4,000.

Past proceeds from the tournament have enabled the club to buy a Ping-Pong table and an air hockey game and have provided partial funding for a computer.

Chris Schneider, executive director, said the club appreciates the generosity.

“The money goes directly to the kids’ needs,” he said. “This is the most creative effort of fund-raising support I’ve ever seen.”

No decision has been made yet on how the tournament money will be spent this year, Williams said.

The roster of tournament players has grown from eight the first year to 32 this year. Each player gave a minimum donation of $25, Williams said.

Chris Tober of Tucson, Ariz., a former classmate of Williams at the University of Arizona, raised $295 alone and won the Mr. Basketball Award, which is given to the player who raises the most money.

“I just wanted to put together a bunch of friends to help out their community,” said Williams, who plans on hosting a tournament again next year. “It’s become a tradition now--and my friends would kill me now if I stopped doing it.”