Hoops for HOPE raises funds for Cambodian hospitals, youth program

Billerica resident Dr. Milton Drake addresses participants at the 2024 Hoops for HOPE event on Oct. 11, 2024. Drake is a medical doctor who has traveled to Cambodia and Latin America with his wife Debbie on medical missions. He has worked with Tufts Medicine and Lowell General Hospital, who have been great donors to Hoops for HOPE. (Aleah Landry photo)

Jaxon Lemerise, of Northboro, shoots for a basket during the third hour of the 24-hour Hoops for HOPE event in the UMass Lowell Recreation Center on Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. (Aleah Landry photo)

Paul Watters, a member of the Hoops for HOPE leadership team, holds up a framed photo of the late Kobe Bryant, a piece up for auction in the “Bid to Give” fundraising campaign. Watters previously raised the most by a single participant for the 2023 Hoops for HOPE fundraiser by walking from Florida to Massachusetts. During that walk, Watters raised over $20,000. (Aleah Landry photo)

A Hoops for HOPE participant spins a basketball on his finger as David Martin, right, watches. (Aleah Landry photo)

Participants line up as they are divided into teams by Phil Arsenault in the gym at the UMass Lowell Recreation Center during the 2024 Hoops for Hope event on Oct. 11. (Aleah Landry photo)

David Martin, who is in his first year on the Hoops for HOPE leadership team, addresses attendees and participants at the 2024 Hoops for Hope event at the UMass Lowell Recreation Center on Oct. 11. Martin is passionate about basketball and helping poor people, making his new role on the leadership team a perfect fit. (Aleah Landry photo)

A basketball sits on the court in the UMass Lowell Recreation Center during the 2024 Hoops for HOPE event on Oct. 11 as Dr. Milton Drake addresses participants in the background. (Aleah Landry photo)

Auction items line a table in the gymnasium of the UMass Lowell Recreation Center during the 2024 Hoops for HOPE event on Oct. 11. The items are part of the “Bid to Give” fundraiser that Hoops for HOPE has been doing for the last few years in conjunction with the basketball marathon. (Aleah Landry photo)

Jaxon Lemerise, of Northboro, dribbles a basketball as he runs down court 2 at the UMass Lowell Recreation Center. Lemerise is one of the youngest participants in this year’s Hoops for HOPE event. (Aleah Landry photo)

Marvin Urdaneta, a business manager in the dental care field, smiles as he walks along court 2 at the UMass Lowell Recreation Center during the Hoops for HOPE event on Oct. 11, 2024. The former college basketball forward made several dunks during this year’s event. (Aleah Landry photo)

Walpole resident Phil Arsenault, a founding member of Hoops for HOPE, speaks to participants during the delegates meeting on Oct. 11, 2024 at the start of the fourth hour of the Hoops for HOPE event at the UMass Lowell Recreation Center. The event runs for 24 straight hours, raising funds and awareness for a variety of causes. The event this year is fundraising for the Boston Teen Police Academy, the Sonja Kill Memorial Hospital in Cambodia, and HOPE Worldwide. (Aleah Landry photo)

Hours are marked on printed pieces of paper for the 2024 Hoops for HOPE basketball marathon event at the UMass Lowell recreation center on Friday, Oct. 11. As each hour passes, participants gather around as a volunteer ceremoniously tears the page marking the previous hour off of the wall. (Aleah Landry photo)

Gatorade, bottled water, and fruit sit on the sideline of court 1 in the gymnasium at the UMass Lowell Recreation Center for 2024 Hoops for HOPE participants to snack on during the basketball marathon on Oct. 11. (Aleah Landry photo)