A slam dunk for veterans

A Genesee High School senior is using her favorite sport to help her city honor three former military veterans and community members.

It started when Genesee city officials asked the school if students were willing to raise money for the installation of three new memorial benches at the city’s playfields.

Monica Seubert answered the call.

She decided to organize a 3-on-3 basketball tournament this coming Sunday at Genesee High School called Hoops For Honor. The proceeds from the tournament will fund the memorial benches.

The benches will be dedicated to Arthur “Bud” Hall III, Steve Odenborg and Dave Wagner. All three men were former Genesee City Councilors and Odenborg served as Genesee’s mayor from 2009 to 2021. They all had previously served in the military, too.

Genesee Public Works Director Dustin Brinkly said the city council wanted to honor the three men who had died.

“They’ve just been a big part of the community and we wanted to recognize what they did as far as their service to the country,” Brinkly said.

Brinkly contacted Genesee High to see if any students wanted to raise money for the benches as part of their required senior projects.

At the time, he said, the city assumed it would take three separate students to raise money for the three benches.

“When Monica took it on, she said, ‘I think I can put on a big enough event to do all three,’” Brinkly said. “She’s done an amazing job.”

When Seubert heard the idea, she thought it was a great opportunity to give back to the community she loves.

Seubert, who played basketball for Genesee High, decided to host a basketball tournament for all ages. She spread the word to teachers and students at the school, including her younger siblings.

“They talked to their friends about it and it all sounded like a fun thing that everybody wanted to do,” she said.

It didn’t stop there. Seubert said Principal Kelly Caldwell told other schools in the region about “Hoops For Honor” and its popularity exceeded her expectations.

Seubert started with the goal of registering 25 teams for the tournament. So far, 39 teams have signed up, she said.

“It’s been really fun, especially talking to all the people and seeing how many people from out of town have signed up,” she said.

Hoops For Honor will start 10 a.m. Sunday at Genesee High. Teams are organized in age brackets and range from kindergarten students to adults aged 19 and older. It costs $40 per team and the registration deadline is Friday. People can also donate money at the tournament, too.

Seubert said each bench will cost roughly $1,000.

Seubert said she is grateful for the chance to help out the city she called “a really great community.”

“It’s so great to grow up here,” she said. “Everybody is so nice and it’s all like one big family.”

Kuipers can be reached at akuipers@dnews.com.