Damon Brooks Charity Game
You never know where life will take you. In April, former Springbrook High basketball player Damon Brooks, was playing around with his friend. Lifting his friend off the ground, Brooks’ knees buckled and the two boys fell to the ground, where Brooks hit his head and broke his neck.
Two surgeries later, Brooks is at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore. Rather than asking, “Why Me?” he is trying to put his energies towards his rehabilitation and towards getting back to Goucher College.
Darnell Myers, the Springbrook assistant coach, decided to do something to lift Brooks’ spirits and to help pay for his medical expenses. He organized what he hopes will now be an annual Damon Brooks Charity Game between Goucher players and Springbrook alumni. They had t-shirts and wrist bands printed for sale and they hosted two games. There was a bake sale and concessions and a large donation box.
Over 400 tickets were sold to the event, and Brooks’ and his mom were certainly touched. As he mom, Latre’ Zankli said, “I didn’t know how many people’s lives he touched until his tragedy. I knew he was a good person, but the outpouring has just been overwhelming.”
While Brooks wasn’t able to attend the charity game, he watched it on an iPad loaned to him.
As one observer, Anoko, wrote on a blog, “So ofcourse, the Springbrook All-Stars won the game and the rest is history! My family was so touched by the outpouring of support from everyone including the Coaches (Past and Present), Staff, Friends, and Family that came out to donate to Damone’s recovery expenses.”
