Pitt-Greensburg charity basketball game will raise money for United Way

The United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania will benefit from Pitt-Greensburg’s 12th annual charity basketball game, set for Wednesday.

Part of a tradition that has assisted various regional charities for more than a decade, the game that pits a team of students against another featuring faculty and staff will begin at 6 p.m. in Chambers Hall Gymnasium, off Finoli Drive in Hempfield.

The game is open to the public at no charge. Money for the charity is raised through raffle sales, which begin at noon Wednesday, as well as sales of souvenir T-shirts and donations of money or raffle prizes from area businesses.

The Pitt-Greensburg Student Government Association, which hosts the game, will raffle Penguins tickets, a gift card tree and photos signed by Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Cameron Heyward. Other Pitt-Greensburg student clubs and organizations will assemble themed raffle baskets for the event.

A 50/50 ticket will be sold during the game with the drawing held after the game. The winner need not be present for the drawing.

All 25 members of the Student Government Association serve on the event committee, while the SGA senators are involved in planning the event and managing it on the day of the game.

“The similarity in how the United Way supports other organizations and SGA supports our campus clubs, organizations and students really resonated with us this year,” SGA President John Kerlicker said in a news release. “It seemed like a perfect organization to support through the charity game.”

The student leaders, while serving a charitable cause, benefit from the experience of working as a team. “It’s good practice for when they leave the university and become leaders in their community,” said Al Thiel, Pitt-Greensburg’s director of student center operations and student involvement.