KING OF THE COURT CHARITABLE BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
The Masonic Family “King of The Court” Basketball Tournament is an exciting and distinctive community based charitable event, comprised of several Lodges within the Dallas and Ft Worth metro-plex, designed to increase brotherly love with dedication and goodwill.
This year, Lodges from The Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Texas, along with constituent Chapters from Norris Wright Cuney Grand Chapter collaborated to make the 2nd annual tournament a success. The tournament was held on March 29, 2008, beginning at 9:00am and concluding at 7:30pm. The venue of choice was The Salvation Army located at 712 W. Abrams St., in Arlington, Texas. Outstanding active participants included: Alpha and Omega Lodge #647, Mosier Valley # 103, Grand Temple Lodge #75, Good Street Lodge#182, Mt. Pisgah Lodge #135, Phoenix Lodge #648, Pride of the South Lodge#324 and Rescue Lodge #20, encompassing districts 10, 11 and 20, all seeking the thrill of becoming “King of the Court”.
This charitable event focused on giving back to the community. In doing so, The Arlington Salvation Army was the chosen recipient, not only because its focal point is that of benevolence, but also because it houses several families on its actual campus. Also the Sickle Cell Disease Association was a recipient of a sizable donation from this Charitable Tournament. A cover charge for spectators was taken at the door as well as monetary donations that were collected via pledge sheets. The pledge sheets were extended to all participating Lodges and Chapters. Midstream the event, the Honorable Wilbert M. Curtis, Most Worshipful Grand Master, took pride in presenting Captain Miller from the Salvation Army with a check for $1200.00 and also the Sickle Cell Disease Association with a $1200.00 donation. During the course of the tournament a concession, manned by several chapters from the Norris Wright Cuney Grand Chapter, was made available to any one who desired food and drinks. The proceeds from this were allocated to the Norris Wright Cuney Grand Chapter. As with The Norris Wright Cuney Grand Chapter, The Masonic Trust Fund will also receive a sizable donation during Grand Lodge Session 2008.Upon conclusion of the tournament and witnessed by all “The King of the Court” crown was presented to Phoenix Lodge #648 as they defeated second place Good Street Lodge #182 in an overtime thriller! Congratulations to all who helped make this event a success and we look forward to crowning a new King of the Court in 2009. Also a special thanks to the Honorable Wilbert M. Curtis (Grand Master), Hubert L. Reece (Grand Secretary), Robert Datcher (Grand Treasurer) and the King of the Court Basketball Committee for making this event a huge success.
SDDGM Marcus Thomas
Fort Worth, Texas