SOUTH DAYTON — The fifth annual March Madness event held on Sunday, March 24 at Pine Valley High School was another resounding success! The annual event was presented by Community in Action and sponsored by the Pine Valley Central School District.

This year’s event started off with student basketball games which included 40 Pine Valley participants in grades 4-12. Alumni players returned once again to enjoy time on the Pine Valley hardwood with old and new friends.

Thirty men and women played, ranging in graduation years from 1982 to 2018. The day ended with an exciting matchup between 20 law enforcement officers between the Sheriff’s Department and the New York State troopers. The deputies from the Sheriff’s Department prevailed in a very competitive battle with a final score of 46-42; talks are already in the works for a rematch next year.

Community in Action would like to thank these local heroes for donating their time and energy to our annual event and supporting our students. The day-long event also included 50/50 raffles, a bake sale, concessions and a large Chinese auction with 110 donated items.

Submitted Photo Pictured is one of the teams that participated in this year’s March Madness event at Pine Valley.

Community in Action is happy to announce that this year’s event raised $3,820 in four short hours. This money is dedicated to the March Madness Fund and will go a long way to help many Pine Valley students and their families through difficult times. This includes students suffering from a serious or life-threatening illness, students injured in a severe accident, the loss of a parent or the loss of a home due to fire or natural disaster.

The carnival presented by the Class of 2021 was very successful also. The class earned $550, while children of all ages enjoyed games, a bounce house, face painting and throwing pies in student volunteers faces. The sophomores did a fantastic job organizing and running this exciting event.

Community in Action and the March Madness Committee would like to extend their sincere gratitude to the Pine Valley faculty and staff, administration, students, parents and community members who helped to make this annual event such a success. Whether they donated items for the concession stand, donated to the Chinese auction or volunteered their time, organizers acknowledge and appreciate their support.

Organizers would like to give a “shout-out” to all the local businesses in South Dayton, Cherry Creek and Leon that donated to our event: South Dayton Supermarket, South Dayton Hotel, CCB, NOCO, SCFCU, NEHS Hardware, Center of Attention Hair Salon, Cherry Creek Fire Hall, Cherry Creek VFW, Leon Fire Hall, Crossroads Grocery, Orchard Eats, Dough Boys, Cockaigne Resort, South Dayton American Legion.

Also, special thanks to all the businesses/groups that supported this worthy event from neighboring communities of Gowanda, Irving, Silver Creek, Forestville, Fredonia, Dunkirk, Kennedy, Falconer and Jamestown.

Submitted Photo Pictured is one of the teams that participated in this year’s March Madness event at Pine Valley.

The following businesses donated over $50 of merchandise to the event this year: NEHS Hardware, South Dayton Supermarket, Leon Fire Hall, Blasdell Pizza, National Comedy Museum, Lucy/Desi Museum, Reg Lenna, Chautauqua Institution, Gowanda Ford, Kissing Bridge, D&F Complete Auto Care, Sinclairville Superette, Wal-Mart, Patton’s, Liberty Winery, Beaver Club, Pride Boxing, Women of the Moose Chapter 651, Loyal Order of the Moose Gowanda, Wegman’s, Buffalo Bisons, Cockaigne Resort, PV administration and the Jamestown Jackals. Your generosity is truly appreciated!

This annual event serves as a testimony of what a small community can do when it pulls together. Through the team work and generosity of our community this event proved to be an incredibly positive, fun and uplifting experience. Everyone looks forward to the participation of fellow community members again next year!

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