Scoring big for schools

Scoring big for schools

Wednesday, 10 February 2010 08:41 |

Author: Texas Invitational |

Scoring big for schools

McDonald’s Texas Invitational raises $140,000 for Foundation

The McDonald’s Texas Invitational basketball tournament has become known around the state as “a monumental event.” That phrase is never more evident when championship teams in the tournament proudly hoist their winning trophy in the air – which is a replica of the San Jacinto Monument. New pages in history are written every year at the tournament.

As for the Pasadena ISD’s Education Foundation’s main fundraiser, the tournament’s contributions to the foundation have continued to grow.

Now, it’s time again to rewrite the history books again.

In January, the McDonald’s Texas Invitational’s steering committee presented a record $140,000 donation to the Education Foundation.

“The great thing about this tournament is not only the quality of basketball being played, but the fact that it all goes to help a tremendous cause,” said Tournament Chairman Ben Meador.

More than 40,000 fans attended the three-day event. The 48 team boys bracket and 32 team girls bracket featured several state’s top ranked teams.

Meador also contributes the tournament’s success to the more than 400 volunteers who perform many roles at the tournament and the event’s 105 sponsors. For more information on the tournament, log on to www.texasinvitational.com

Invitational folks ready to present another hefty check

Thursday, 28 January 2010 14:08 |

Author: ROBERT AVERY |

Tonight is that special January night for both the McDonald’s Texas Invitational high school basketball tournament folks and the Pasadena Education Foundation.

For anyone connected to either, it will feel like Christmas and winning the lottery all rolled into one. Committee members will be making a check presentation to officials with the Pasadena Education Foundation, the tournament’s primary beneficiary, at the PISD administration building at 5 p.m.

The Pasadena Education Foundation could be receiving its fattest check to date. Despite the sluggish economy, the 2009 tournament saw a 54 percent increase in the number of sponsors. Add it all up and tournament officials were looking at $176,000 in sponsorship dollars for this past fall’s 7th annual event. Throw in ticket sales and the like and it should be another windfall for PISD’s children.

Going into this past November’s tournament, $385,000 had been donated to the Foundation over the six-year history of the tourney, billed as the largest tournament in the state and likely rivals any of the biggest tournaments in the country.

Last year’s check presentation was in the amount of $125,000 after expenses. The money is used for teacher mini-grants that can be turned into improved quality of instruction in the classroom.

To get an idea of how much the tournament has been growing over the years, it was just four years ago that the check presentation to the Pasadena Education Foundation was in the amount of $50,000.

The decade’s Top-10 sports stories

Tuesday, 05 January 2010 08:25 |

Author: By ROBERT AVERY |

The mission was to stage one of the premier high school basketball tournaments in Texas for the 2003-2004 season.

Six years later and thousands of fans and dollars that have flowed into the city to watch a potent lineup of teams, it's mission accomplished.

Now the McDonald’s Texas Invitational has accomplished another mission. It has been named the No. 1 Pasadena Citizen sports story of the decade.