Greensboro Sports Council Distributes $100,000 to HAECO Invitational Schools

GREENSBORO SPORTS COUNCIL DISTRIBUTES $100,000 TO HAECO INVITATIONAL SCHOOLS

GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Greensboro Sports Council donated $100,000 to the eight schools that participated in the 42nd annual HAECO Invitational last December, the Council announced today. In addition, the Sports Council donated $9,000 in scholarships and charitable contributions from tournament proceeds. The 43rd annual HAECO Invitational is set for Dec. 26-28, 2018 at the Greensboro Coliseum Special Events Center.

The $100,000 donation total works out to $12,500 for each of the eight participating schools – the same distribution as last year. In addition to the school contributions, the Council awarded four $2,000 Bill Lee Scholarships, made a $1,000 donation to Backpack Beginnings in honor of outgoing tournament chair Brett Weathersbee, a $5,000 donation to the North Carolina High School Athletic Association and a $1,000 donation to the Corrigan Faircloth Chapter of the National Football Foundation to sponsor a scholarship.

In recent years, the Greensboro Sports Council made the following contributions to the HAECO Invitational participating schools following that year’s tournament:

2008: $96,000                                    2009: $80,000                                    2010: $86,000
2011: $100,000                                   2012: $108,000                                   2013: $112,000
2014: $112,000                                   2015: $112,000                                   2016: $100,000
2017: $100,000

“Since the HAECO Invitational was founded more than 40 years ago, the mission has been to raise funds for the participating schools,” Greensboro Sports Council president Rob Goodman said. “The charitable component and scholarships were added in the early 2000s. The sports landscape continuously evolves, and there’s more competition than ever for corporate partnership dollars; this holiday tournament continues to enjoy solid support from the Greensboro community making these school contributions and charitable donations possible. On behalf of the participating schools and the Greensboro Sports Council, we sincerely thank title partner, HAECO Americas, as well as the many companies and individuals that supported the HAECO Invitational in this important community cause.”

The field for this year’s 43rd annual HAECO Invitational has not yet been determined; it will be announced at a later date.

The HAECO Invitational is an annual high school basketball tournament in Greensboro, N.C. Founded in 1976 as the Little 4 Invitational, the tournament features men’s and women’s teams representing eight Guilford County high schools playing at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex. Tournament proceeds are donated to local charities and the participating schools; the HAECO Invitational is planned and implemented by the Greensboro Sports Council.

For more information, please visit www.HAECOInvitational.com and follow the event on Twitter: @HAECOinvit and www.facebook.com/HAECOInvitational.