Hoopin' it up for a good cause

A Palmer Junior Middle School student helped hit a game-winning shot against heart disease with his dedication.

As part of the annual Hoops for Heart event at Palmer Junior Middle School, students are encouraged to raise money through donations to the American Heart Association.

Typically, the top students at Palmer Junior Middle School raise around $300, teacher and organizer Dorothy Jacobson said.

If $300 is a free throw in the game of raising money, Wimer hit a full-court shot -- he raised $1,126, the most ever raised by a single student at PJMS.

"Last year, Matt raised around $300 and this year he told me, 'Dad, I want to raise at least $1,000.' I told him it was a good goal, but I didn't think he'd be able to do it," said Roger Wimer, Matt's father. "You know, kids that age aren't going to stay with it and hit the pavement, but he did. He stuck with it and really worked."

Perhaps the most impressive thing about raising the $1,126 is that the largest single donation was $25, and there weren't many businesses that donated. Mostly, it was individuals who gave what they could -- sometimes pennies, sometimes dollars.

"Every donation he got was between 25 cents and $25," Roger Wimer said. "We figured it up, and his average donation was $5. I'm proud of him, because it wasn't like he had huge donations."

The Hoops for Heart program has been a hit at PJMS, because basketball is such a popular activity there. After weeks of raising money, the students got a chance to enjoy the "fun" end of things last Thursday.

From 2:15 p.m. to 4:15 p.m., the students got to play five-on-five, take part in a free-throw competition and enjoy a three-point contest.

"The kids come in and play basketball and we have a lot of fun," Jacobson said. "This year, we were giving out small little prizes and just enjoying the afternoon."

As a school, PJMS raised $2,433.79 for the American Heart Association.

"I've taught for 20 years and we've done something every year for the heart association," Jacobson said. "For years, we did the jump rope activity, but we've been doing the Hoops for Heart for the last six or seven years. Basketball is so big here that the kids get into it."

Nationally, the Hoops for Heart program is a rousing success. It is the companion to the Jump Rope for Heart program, which the American Heart Association also coordinates around the nation.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars are raised every year around the country.

The benefit is twofold -- it helps raise money for the American Heart Association, and secondly, it helps raise awareness of heart-related issues (see related story).

Thursday, though, the spotlight was on Wimer. Juliana Edwards, the regional director of the American Heart Association, teamed with Jacobson to present Wimer with a certificate, signed by both Edwards and Bob Doyle, the Mat-Su Borough School District's chief administrator. Wimer also received a basketball from Edwards for his efforts.

"He was pretty proud. So am I," Roger Wimer said.