FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CHESHIRE, Conn. - A group of Cheshire teens is hosting the first Petit Family Memorial Basketball Tournament, Dunk It!, Saturday, March 15, at Cheshire High School in Cheshire, Conn. The event will benefit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Connecticut Chapter and the Hayley’s Hope and Michaela’s Miracle MS Memorial Fund.

Twenty-four teams are currently registered to participate in the benefit tournament. The day's schedule of events is as follows:

9 a.m. Doors Open
9:30 a.m. Team Check-in Begins
10 a.m. Opening Ceremonies / Address by Cheshire resident Jenifer Walsh, coordinator of Cheshire Lights of Hope; diagnosed with MS about 10 years ago
10:30 a.m. Silent Auction Begins / Bake Sale Opens
11 a.m. Games Begin / Cheshire High School Vocal Jazz Performance / Kids Activities Begin
11:30 a.m. Lunch
3 p.m. Jus B and the Crew Performance
4 p.m. Police Championship Game
5 p.m. Dinner
5:30 p.m. Championship Games / Silent Auction Closes6:45 p.m. Closing Ceremonies

The tournament is the brainchild of four Cheshire teenagers: Megan Alexander, a 2007 Cheshire High School graduate; Justin Ivey, a Cheshire High School senior; Wayne Lawrence, a 2006 Cheshire High School graduate; and Stephen Selnick, a Cheshire High School senior.

"I wanted to develop an uplifting way to celebrate the lives of Jennifer, Hayley and Michaela while at the same time bring our community together," said Alexander, a co-coordinator and founder of the event, who was a close childhood friend of Hayley Petit. "We decided to host an activity the three women had enjoyed as a family. Basketball seemed a fitting choice, particularly as Hayley was an avid basketball player, and the family had enjoyed following the UConn Women’s Basketball team."

Multiple Sclerosis became a cause close to the family’s heart after Jennifer’s diagnosis several years ago. Hayley, just 9 years old at the time, formed a walk team to raise funds to help find a cure for a disease threatening to rob her mother’s independence and mobility.

Over the next eight years, her team, Hayley’s Hope, raised more then $55,000 and was among the top fundraising teams many years. Hayley, who would have attended Dartmouth College fall 2007, prepared to hand the torch to her younger sister, Michaela, who was establishing her own team, Michaela’s Miracle.

More than 6,000 Connecticut residents battle the potentially debilitating effects of multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease affecting the central nervous system. There is no cure. Symptoms can include, among other things, numbness in the limbs, difficulties with vision and speech, stiffness, loss of mobility and, in some more severe cases, total paralysis. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot be predicted. Funds donated to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Connecticut Chapter, ensure ongoing scientific research to find better treatments and a cure, as well as to provide vital programs and services offered by the chapter to those in the state living with multiple sclerosis.

In addition to the basketball tournament, the day will feature a bake sale, concessions, music and other activities designed for family fun. This event will also highlight MS Awareness Week, March 10 through March 17. The National MS Society will be hosting an information table and addressing inquiries as they relate to MS and its effects, programs and services offered by the chapter and events hosted by the chapter.

3/4/08