Fill the Gym

by David MacDonald

Saturday, January 17, 2009 was a day of competition, compassion, and community at Mullins Gym on the campus of Itasca Community College (ICC) in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. It was a basketball game like many others: the Lady Vikings played the Rainy River Community College Voyageurs. But this game was also a special event for the family of Lady Viking assistant coach and ICC student Natasha “Tasha” Hamilton.

Four days before Christmas, Tasha’s mother, Carol Hamilton, was tragically killed in a car accident in southern Minnesota. Since then ICC and other organizations in Grand Rapids like radio station KAXE where Lady Viking coach John Bauer works, helped raise money for the Hamilton Family Fund. Turning the January 17 basketball game into a “Fill The Gym” fundraiser was the idea of coach Bauer who said, “We wanted to let all the Viking basketball fans have an opportunity to help out so we dedicated this game to Tasha and her family.”

From the donations at the door as well as a halftime raffle, over $1,000 was raised at the game. ICC provost Mike Johnson who was at the game said, “We strive to be a learning community and a family on this campus and support each other no matter what happens. We had a real good turn out at the game and we had a lot of donations made during the week as well.”

The game started with coach Bauer introducing Tahsa and her three siblings, Levy, Hannah, and Michaela. He told the crowd of about 350 people, “In basketball, as in life, it is full of highs and lows and this is a low our basketball family has never experience before. So I really appreciate you being here to show your love and support for the Hamilton family as they move forward with their lives.”

Gladys Hanson, the mother of Carol and the grandmother of Tasha, drove up from southern Minnesota with other family members to be at the game. Although tears still flow when asked to talk about the tragedy, Grandma Hanson said, “ We certainly appreciate all the help the kids have been getting. The response has been just wonderful. We never anticipated anything like this and all we can say is thank you very much.”

The Lady Vikings won the game 58-47. If you would like to contribute to the Hamilton Family Fund, please call John Bauer at (218) 326-1234 for more information.