Rumson Country Day's Hoops for Horizons to Honor Albert Martin Jr.

The 11th annual Hoops for Horizons 3-on-3 basketball tournament will be held at Rumson Country Day School (RCDS) on March 8 and 9 to benefit the school's Horizons Student Enrichment Program. 

This year the annual charity event will honor , the beloved Red Bank Regional High School senior who died suddenly in December while playing basketball, by giving the event his name —  Memorial Hoops for Horizons Tournament.

“We’re inviting everyone in the community to come out and play in Albert’s memory," said Paul Campanella, Rumson Country Day School's athletics director and Albert E. Martin Jr. Hoops for Horizons Tournament coordinator. "He joined us every March for the past five years because Horizons was a program that made a difference in his life. He wanted to share that experience with other kids.”

A Horizons graduate, Martin spent three summers, from sixth through eighth grade, in the program and returned each year to play in the tournament.

Known for his "sure-handed basketball skills and easy smile," Albert's mother, Traci Dixon said, "Albert loved hoops, loved Horizons and loved life.” 

Rumson resident and Horizons founder and past board president, Lore MacDonald, reminisced about Albert. He "was the kind of child every school would want in their community," she said. "He was affable and always smiling.  He appealed to every person from every walk of life — just an amazing kid.”

All boys and girls, from the fifth grade level and up, are welcome to participate in the tournament. The competition begins at 3:30 p.m. on March 8, Friday afternoon, with the fifth grade division, followed by the high school/adults under-29 bracket in the early evening.

The event will conclude the next day with the middle school and adult 30+ divisions. There will be prizes for winning teams, chance auctions, a bake sale and snacks for purchase with all money raised to benefit Horizons’ 2013 summer program and the 100+ local students who attend.

Horizons is an award-winning academic and recreational summer enrichment program whose mission is to promote the potential of children, primarily from Red Bank, in grades kindergarten through eight, who are living in low income circumstances.

About Horizons:

The Horizons program emphasizes math, reading, science, the arts, intramural sports and swimming, nutritious meals and social growth.

Horizons is committed to the development of the whole child through experiences that enhance self-esteem, foster awareness of community responsibility, build problem-solving skills and encourage a life-long interest in learning.

If you are someone who loves kids, basketball and are enthusiastic about helping our greater community, please contact Horizons Executive Director Lori Hohenleitner at HYPERLINK "horizonsed@gmail.com"horizonsed@gmail.com.  Registration and donation information also can be found at www.rcds.org/horizons.