Fundraising with Free Throws: GRAMS Christian Youth Basketball Camp raising funds for BABE
(Talk of the Town photos provided) Above, Connor Gordon prepares to make a free throw shot at last year’s GRAMS Christian Youth Basketball Camp in Columbia City. This year, the youths free throws will add up to funds raised for the BABE Program in Whitley County. Below, at left, Jacob Alles assists a young camper sharpen his shooting skills.
By Jennifer Zartman Romano
As each youngster at Jacob Alles’ Christian youth basketball camp lines up, dribbles the ball and prepares to shoot – whether the youth makes his or her shot matters all the more this year. After all, they're not just aiming for a personal best -- but hoping to rack up some financial support for a local non-profit organization that serves families.
Each free throw the youths make will rack up the amount of community support for Beds and Britches Etc., the BABE Program. The BABE Program provides infant and childcare supplies to families in the community as a means of rewarding positive pre-natal and early childhood activities.
Hearing about the BABE Program, Alles decided he wanted to help out. 
“It is very important to us to present the Christian message to the campers throughout the whole week,” Alles said. “Each year we have a camp theme. This year we decided to make it about Christian service.”
The theme they chose was, “To Love Him is to Serve Him.”
“We really wanted some sort of service project to go along with the theme and we decided on a free throw shoot fundraiser,” Alles added. “This is our first year doing a fundraiser of any kind.”
Alles said was the enthusiasm of Shawn Ellis that brought attention to that program as one they might want to support with the free throw fundraiser – and the endorsement of a trusted friend, local pastor Ross O’Dell.
“When it was decided that the camp would raise funds for a charity, we consulted Pastor Ross O’Dell,” Alles said. “He suggested BABE. It seems to be a great fit.”
“We love the fact that BABE focuses on equipping parents through education by promoting parenting classes and providing positive reinforcement in the form of coupons,” Alles said. “That these coupons can be redeemed for items such as diapers, blankets, clothing for children and other necessities, particularly in this time of need, is fantastic.”
“It is also a great local charity with 93% of people served being residents of Whitley County,” said Alles. The Whitley County connection is important to Alles and his wife, Michelle, who are local business owners. The couple operates GRAMS Tutoring Center in the Linvill Building on East Van Buren Street.
“Whether it be our Christian sports camps or our tutoring center, GRAMS is a business that deals mostly with young people, so raising funds for a program aimed at supporting families with young children seems natural,” said Alles.
The next step in the process was finding support from other local businesses – a particularly challenging effort in tough economic times.
After contacting local businesses and requesting their pledge of support for the free throw fundraiser, they found the giving nature of the community to be as supportive as ever. Alles’ aspiring basketball stars will end each day of practice with free throw shooting – and each point they score means another 5-75 cents a local business has pledged to help BABE.
Local businesses supporting the challenge include Columbia City Optometry, Hill’s ATA Blackbelt Academy, Kernel Colada’s Snack Shack, Star Tire & Automotive, Starr CPA & Associates, Flow Tech Plumbing and Heating, Games and More, Trok & Krider Dentistry and Talk of the Town.
“It sounds cliché, but our whole attitude during this process has been, ‘God will provide,” Alles adds. “We have two goals, to show our campers that they can make a difference at any age, and to raise as much money for BABE as we can.”
In addition to the free throw contest, they will also be collecting toddler socks during the camp to donate to BABE.
The GRAMS Christian Youth Basketball camp is open to youths in grades Kindergarten through eighth grade who want to improve their basketball skills in a Christ-oriented environment.
This fourth annual basketball camp will be held at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Columbia City with three sessions, K-2nd, 3rd-5th, & 6th-8th. The session times are 9-10:30 a.m., 11 a.m.-1 p.m., and 1-3 p.m. Camp will be held June 15-18, 2009. The registration fee is $35 for session I and $40 for sessions II and III.
Registration deadline is June 13 for the camp.
For anyone interested in registering for the camp or supporting the free throw fundraiser, contact Jacob and Michelle Alles at 248-8000 or via e-mail at gramstutoring@yahoo.com