This school year Presidents of Dunks for Diabetes, sophomores Mason Berk and Spencer Becker, are forced to take a different approach to raising money in an engaging way, such as video game tournaments and multiple fundraisers.

Dunks for Diabetes is a non-profit organization that raises money to support the American Diabetes Association by playing basketball and is now a club available to all students. The organization was founded seven years ago in Baltimore and has raised $70,000. It now has 10 locations scattered across the nation. “Basketball is just a way for the community to come together and build a strong bond,” Becker said.

Normally Dunks for Diabetes would hold 3v3 basketball tournaments, which demonstrate the importance of exercise through basketball while also raising money for the cause. Anyone of any age could start a tournament or volunteer in one. “In a normal year we would have around two tournaments, which would provide us with most of the money for our goal,” Berk said.

For their first year as a club, Berk and Becker have plans to still meet their goals of raising money while having fun, even if they can’t play basketball in person. Right now they hope to build membership with their new Instagram “dunksfordiabetes_” where they will update the community on future fundraisers. “In total we would like to raise over $1,000 this year with at least one tournament in the spring that brings in ideally $500 for diabetes research,” Berk said.

Additionally, the club has plans for video game tournaments and other virtual activities for members to engage in. This will provide a fun way for money to be raised and for the community to come together. “I joined because the club supports a good cause and it sounded like an exciting way to help the community,” sophomore member Evan Lewis said.

It’s not required to play basketball because there are plenty of jobs available during the tournaments that students could volunteer to help out with. If students volunteer or play, they are not obligated to donate money either. “I’ve ran the tournament twice before and some of the club members have played in or volunteered before,” Berk said.

The profits that the tournaments bring in are then used by the American Diabetes Association to fund research to prevent, cure and manage diabetes. They also fight to get legislation passed for things like affordable healthcare, discrimination against those with diabetes and health equity. “The American Diabetes Association is a great organization that will fight and provide for all people affected by diabetes,” Becker said.

The club was created in 2012 by Jordan Yaffe who was a seventh grader in Baltimore for a bar mitzvah service project. The tournaments also honor the late Dr. Fred Brancati, an influential doctor who researched diabetes at Johns Hopkins, and spread awareness about diabetes. “As a friend of Jordan, he is a great leader and one of the reasons why I decided to start a Dunks for Diabetes club,” Berk said.