by Shawn Nowlin
Roy Stanley was known for his warm personality and enthusiasm regarding all things sports related. For over 30 years, he was a fixture on WDBJ-7, covering everything from tennis to hockey. In 2002, at the age of 53, Stanley lost his battle to cancer.
Friends, family and community residents continue to keep his memory alive by hosting an annual basketball fundraiser. Now in its 11th year, the Roy Stanley Memorial Shootout took place at Roanoke College Cregger Center.
Lisa Bain, president, Kiwanis Club of Salem, along with several other club members, provided food for the teams after the games.
Roughly 100 athletes participated in the fundraiser. Six games, featuring one high school from North Carolina, were on the ticket this year: Liberty Christian vs. Roanoke Catholic (girls), Carlisle vs. William Fleming, Amherst County vs. Cave Spring (girls), George Washington Danville vs. Cave Spring and Greensboro Day vs. William Fleming (girls). The final game featured the Virginia Vets against the Roanoke Rising Stars.
“The Kiwanis Club of Salem is dedicated to assisting children and local community children’s programs,” said Paul Dotson, former club president.
Liberty Christian won by 21 points, 49 – 28, without making a single foul shot. In addition to grabbing 18 offensive rebounds, Fleming forced Carlisle into 19 turnovers. Junior Donovan St. Juste led the Colonels to a 68 – 61 victory with 22 points. Connecting on all 20 of their free throws propelled Cave Spring to a 58 – 39 victory. Olympic High forced GW Danville into 21 turnovers en route to a 55 – 44 win. Greensboro Day was able to defeat William Fleming 37 -33 in large part because the Lady Colonels shot just 29.7 % for the game.
In addition to the action on the court, some financial donations and contributions were scored too.
“Our main fundraisers are the Roy Stanley Memorial Shoot Out and a golf tournament which takes place in April. This year we have taken over complete organization of the Christmas parade along with the City of Salem,” said Susan Mini, member board of directors.
“We are involved in many community programs and events such as the Salem Easter Egg Hunt, Snack Buddies for the local elementary schools and the Pig Robertson Fishing Rodeo and others.”
The Kiwanis Club of Salem is currently looking for new members to help carry out their mission. Interested individuals can attend a lunch meeting every Tuesday at 11:45 a.m. at the Salem Civic Center or visit https://salemvakiwanis.com/community /for more information.
