Greensboro Sports Council Distributes $80,000 to 2018 HAECO Invitational Participating Schools

GREENSBORO SPORTS COUNCIL DISTRIBUTES $80,000 TO 2018 HAECO INVITATIONAL SCHOOLS

GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Greensboro Sports Council donated $80,000 to the eight schools that participated in the 43rd annual HAECO Invitational last December, the Council announced today. In addition, the Sports Council donated $10,500 in scholarships and charitable contributions from tournament proceeds. The 44th annual HAECO Invitational is set for Dec. 26-28, 2019 at the Greensboro Coliseum Special Events Center.

The $80,000 donation total works out to $10,000 for each of the eight participating schools. In addition to the school contributions, the Council awarded four $2,000 Bill Lee Scholarships, made a $1,500 donation to Youth Focus in honor of outgoing tournament chair Chris Lowe and a $1,000 donation to the Corrigan Faircloth Chapter of the National Football Foundation to sponsor a scholarship. While the charitable component was added in recent years, the HAECO Invitational has been about raising money for its participating schools since it was founded as the Little 4 Invitational in 1976. Since 2008, the HAECO Invitational has contributed $1,086,000 to its participating schools including this year’s $80,000 in contributions.

“We are thrilled to be able to make significant contributions to our participating schools following the 2018 HAECO Invitational,” Greensboro Sports Council president Val Edson said. “While revenue for the 2018 tournament was down significantly, we are pleased to be able to make a five-figure contribution to each participating school. 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 44th 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.