by Dennis Dalman
editor@thenewsleaders.com
Sports revelers, many dressed in “Tommy Bearson Green,” will be whooping, hollering and having an all-around good time at the “Tommy B. Hoopin’ in Heaven” event that will start at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 13 at Sartell High School.
That night, the Sartell Sabres basketball team will face off against Fergus Falls, with half-time entertainment provided by the Alexandria Aces. Tickets can be purchased the night of the event or in advance online at www.tombearson.org.
Last year, more than 1,000 people attended the event.
The annual event, in memory of Tom Bearson, is a fundraiser for the Tom Bearson Foundation; but it’s also a chance for people who love basketball to get together and have a good time, something the basketball-loving Bearson would – with radiant smile and whoops and high-fives – thoroughly enjoy.
Bearson, a freshman college student who was murdered in the Fargo-Moorhead area three years ago, was a superb varsity basketball player for Sartell High School, a young man who loved the sport ever since his toddler years. Bearson’s parents are Greg and Deb Bearson. His sister is Maddie Bearson.
In the three years since his tragic passing, family, friends and supporters have not only kept Tom’s memory alive, they have also channeled their grief into many good causes and projects for the betterment of Sartell.
The following are the major ones:
Gym project
The gymnasium at St. Francis Xavier Elementary School has been totally refurbished at a cost of $80,000, paid for by the Tom Bearson Foundation.
Tom Bearson spent countless hours playing basketball in that gymnasium when he was a student at SFX, where his mother is also a teacher.
The project included a new multi-purpose floor, new glass backboards and a new, efficient LED lighting system.
In the gym, a plaque was installed honoring Tom. Along with his picture, the plaque states, “Find what you love and make it your passion.”
Scholarships
Each year, some deserving students in Sartell-St. Stephen are honored with Tom Bearson Foundation scholarships.
The scholarships are given to a Sartell-St. Stephen High School varsity player and/or non-sports student to recognize scholastic and athletic achievement, as well as all-around dedication to excellence.
The winners for 2016 included Jacob Liebert, who is studying pre-pharmacy at South Dakota State University in Brookings and competes in the track-and-field program as a jumper; Grant Olson, who attends the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and plans to double major in finance and international business; and Jessica Deters, who is attending North Dakota State University in Fargo, majoring in accounting.
Spirit Award
The Bearson Foundation also presents the Spirit Award annually to a young person who exhibits positive attitudes as a Central Minnesota athlete.
The 2016 recipient is Michael Meyer of Pierz, an athlete who excelled in football, basketball and baseball. Meyer led the Pierz Pioneers to the Class AA State Football Championship.
Team Building
Another Bearson Foundation event is the Character Challenge Course that took place June 16 this year in Park Rapids.
The Sartell-St. Stephen varsity boys basketball players had a chance as a group to do team-building activities and work at leadership skills at the all-day course.
Safety Awareness
Yet another Bearson Foundation program is one called “Safety Awareness,” which will develop personal-safety programs and other forms of education for high-school students before they move on to college or other post high-school pursuits.
The program will involve partnerships between high schools and organizations that promote safe behavior, safety awareness, safety-focused tools and safe behaviors for all students.
Players, all dressed in Tom Bearson Green, line up at the beginning of the Hoopin’ in Heaven event last year in Sartell. The event memorializes former basketball player Tom Bearson, who died tragically three years ago when he was a freshman at college in the Fargo-Moorhead area.
Ace basketball player Tom Bearson prepares to score and wow the crowd during a game while he was a student at Sartell-St. Stephen High School.
Tom Bearson, held by his mother, Deb, was a charmer even as a young child, the same kind of charm that made him well loved later in life. At left is Tom’s sister, Maddie.
