The Lahaina Girls Basketball Club is excited about receiving an invitation to compete in the prestigious 2012 End of the Trail Oregon Basketball Shootout Classic in July near Portland, Oregon.

According to Don Rosenthal, chair of the Lahaina Girls Basketball Fundraising Committee, “This basketball tournament is a national showcase event… and is a golden opportunity for our young girls to compete against the best from around the nation. More importantly than this, there are traditionally a number of college scouts and coaches observing this tournament.

“In being from Hawaii, getting noticed is difficult. But the End of the Trail Oregon Basketball Shootout Classic is hopefully the perfect opportunity for our Lahaina girls to get exposure and to be noticed, which could lead to college scholarship opportunities. This is a very important aspect of this trip, along with specified visits to local colleges in the area.”

The players will need to raise $2,500 each to cover all of their expenses.

Rosenthal said the club will sponsor several fundraisers to help offset the costs of the trip, “but this may not be enough.

“So, the families of the girls are humbly asking for your support to help sponsor these girls, so they might attain their goals and dreams to participate in this tournament. We are asking for a $100 donation per sponsor, but we would feel blessed to receive any amount that would help us get the girls to Oregon.”

All donations are tax-deductible under the Lahaina Girls Basketball Club’s nonprofit umbrella organization.

To make a donation, write your check out to Friends of Lahainaluna Football Inc., note on the memo line “Lahaina Girls Basketball,” and send it to Joanne Bates, 5304 Aia Place, Lahaina, HI 96761. (Friends of Lahainaluna Football Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.)

“We thank you very much for your time and your support of our youth,” Rosenthal concluded.