Due to the spread of the novel coronavirus, the Jim and Juli Boeheim Foundation’s primary fundraising event, the Basket Ball gala, will be held online this year. The April 25 live stream event will raise money for coronavirus relief. 

“I’m a little nervous about it,” Juli Boeheim told The Daily Orange. “We’ve never done anything like this.” 

Traditionally held at Turning Stone Casino, the Basket Ball — which Boeheim described as the foundation’s “breadwinner” — normally nets about $500,000 in donations. The Boeheim family and Syracuse men’s basketball players dress in tuxedos and typically mingle with guests.

But an event like that would be impossible at this time. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday that 195,031 people in New York have tested positive for COVID-19, a respiratory disease that has infected more than 1.8 million worldwide and killed 118,304. Eleven people in Onondaga County have died, county executive Ryan McMahon announced on Monday.

“This is the toughest time in our history and I firmly believe we’re going to get through this,” Jim Boeheim told NBC3, which is broadcasting the gala.

So instead, the Boeheims will hold the 21st annual Basket Ball event in their Fayetteville home, partnering with NBC3 and CNYCentral. It’ll feature the whole SU men’s basketball team on a Zoom call, a surprise musical performance and special VIP appearances. The first hour will be broadcast on NBC3 at 7 p.m. on April 25, and the second half can be found online at CNYCentral.com and Facebook Live.

Over the years, the Jim and Juli Boeheim Foundation has raised nearly $5.5 million for cancer research as well as for children in need within the central New York community. “We don’t take a dollar for granted, that’s for sure,” Boeheim said. 

Recently, the Boeheim Foundation donated $50,000 to Mercy Works, a Syracuse-based nonprofit, to feed Syracuse city school children during the pandemic. Next week, Mercy Works will provide between 4,700 and 5,000 kids with boxed lunches, Boeheim said. Another cause supposed was David’s Refuge, an organization that supports caregivers of children with special needs.

It also gave $3,000 to Belle Grove Missionary Baptist Church to fund grocery distribution for 200 families, and one of the foundation’s upcoming initiatives involves buying laptops and iPads for students who need them to learn remotely. 

“We’re never at a loss for where to put the dollars. There’s always way more needs than we would like there to be, but that’s just the way it is,” Boeheim said. 

The Basket Ball raises money with both a live and silent auction, sponsorships from local businesses and ticket sales — though this year is, of course, free to “attend” with an online stream. 

“I’m just hopeful it’s going to bring all of us together for one cause and for each other,” Boeheim said. 

Published on April 13, 2020 at 6:26 pm

Contact Danny: dremerma@syr.edu | @DannyEmerman