Hoops for HOPE raises funds for Cambodian hospitals and youth program

Billerica resident Dr. Milton Drake speaks to attendees at the Hoops for HOPE 2024 event, October 11, 2024. Drake is a physician who has traveled to Cambodia and Latin America with his wife Debbie for medical missions. He has worked with Tufts Medicine and Lowell General Hospital, which have been major donors to Hoops for HOPE. (Photo by Aleah Landry)

Northboro’s Jaxon Lemerise shoots for a basket during the third hour of the 24-hour Hoops for HOPE event at the UMass Lowell Recreation Center, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. (Photo by Aleah Landry)

Paul Watters, a member of the Hoops for HOPE leadership team, holds up a framed photo of the late Kobe Bryant, a piece being auctioned as part of the “Bid to Give” fundraising campaign. Watters previously raised the largest amount from a single participant for the Hoops for HOPE 2023 fundraiser by walking from Florida to Massachusetts. During this walk, Watters raised more than $20,000. (Photo by Aleah Landry)

A Hoops for HOPE participant spins a basketball on his finger as David Martin, right, watches. (Photo by Aleah Landry)

Participants line up as they are divided into teams by Phil Arsenault in the UMass Lowell Recreation Center gymnasium during the 2024 Hoops for Hope event Oct. 11. (Photo by Aleah Landry)

David Martin, in his first year on the Hoops for HOPE leadership team, speaks to attendees at the Hoops for Hope 2024 event at the UMass Lowell Recreation Center on Oct. 11. Martin is passionate about basketball and helping the poor, which makes his new role on the management team a perfect fit for him. (Photo by Aleah Landry)

A basketball sits on the court at the UMass Lowell Recreation Center during the Hoops for HOPE 2024 event Oct. 11 while Dr. Milton Drake speaks to attendees in the background. (Photo by Aleah Landry)

Oct. 11: Auction items line a table in the UMass Lowell Recreation Center gymnasium during the 2024 Hoops for HOPE event on Oct. 11. The items are part of the “Bid to Give” fundraiser that Hoops for HOPE has been running for the past few years. in conjunction with the basketball marathon. (Photo by Aleah Landry)

Northboro’s Jaxon Lemerise dribbles a basketball as he runs on court 2 at the UMass Lowell Recreation Center. Lemerise is one of the youngest participants in this year’s Hoops for HOPE event. (Photo by Aleah Landry)

Dental care business leader Marvin Urdaneta smiles as he walks along Court 2 at the UMass Lowell Recreation Center during the Hoops for HOPE event on October 11, 2024. Former basketball forward College ball had several dunks at this year’s event. . (Photo by Aleah Landry)

Walpole resident Phil Arsenault, founding member of Hoops for HOPE, addresses attendees during the delegates meeting Oct. 11, 2024 at the start of the fourth hour of the Hoops for HOPE event at the UMass Lowell Recreation Center. The event runs for 24 straight hours, raising funds and awareness for various causes. This year’s event aims to raise funds for the Boston Teen Police Academy, Sonja Kill Memorial Hospital in Cambodia and HOPE Worldwide. (Photo by Aleah Landry)

Times are marked on printed pieces of paper for the 2024 Hoops for HOPE basketball marathon event at the UMass Lowell Recreation Center on Friday, October 11. As each hour passes, participants gather together as a volunteer ceremoniously tears up the page marking the previous hour. from the wall. (Photo by Aleah Landry)

Gatorade, bottled water and fruit sit on the edge of Court 1 of the UMass Lowell Recreation Center gymnasium for 2024. Hoops for HOPE participants to snack on during the basketball marathon on Oct. 11 . (Photo by Aleah Landry)