A community show of support

Dozens of people volunteered to make the Donna Thomas Memorial Basketball Tournament, on July 7 at Baldwin High School, a success. Cheerleaders, from left, Sade Green, Lexi McCready, Dinah Davis, Natasha Thomas and Sophia Jones, energized the crowd.

Maureen Lennon/Herald

Quentin Brown was one of about 40 people who played in the tournament.

Maureen Lennon/Herald

Javon and Javar Bussereth, 5-year-old twins, watched the games with their uncle, Andy Sejourne.

Maureen Lennon/Herald

Event organizer Heather Cameron, third from left, with 11-year-old Jaylin, whose mother, Donna Thomas, died in May. From left were members of the Thomas family, Lexy; Beth, Donna’s mother, holding her youngest daughter Rebecca; and Natasha holding her son, Jelani.

Courtesy Heather Cameron

Volunteers sold raffle tickets and concessions during the event, including, from left, Renee Salmon, Lori Murray, Lori Brady and Lynn Maniace.

Maureen Lennon/Herald

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

It has been less than two months since 28-year-old Donna Thomas, a single mother from Baldwin, died — just weeks after she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. She is survived by her 11-year-old son, Jaylin, who is heading into seventh grade at Baldwin Middle School.

To celebrate Thomas’s life and to raise money for her family, Baldwin High School hosted the Donna Thomas Memorial Basketball Tournament on July 7. Hundreds of people attended, made donations or volunteered at the event, and $9,000 was presented to the Thomas family. The money included proceeds from a GoFundMe page created by family friend Heather Cameron shortly after Thomas’s death in late May.

Cameron was the driving force behind the basketball tournament, with plenty of help from residents Lynn Maniace and Tom and Lori Brady. Four teams, comprising 40 players, competed, and members of Thomas’s family — she had six siblings — were part of the cheerleading section. There were also food and raffle tables lining the high school lobby, with volunteers manning the booths.

Natasha Thomas, Donna’s younger sister and one of the cheerleaders, said it was amazing to see the community support for her family. “It was very touching that the community would come out and support us like this during this time,” she said. “Jaylin … it’s a difficult time for him.” But the support the boy has received, she added, has been tremendous, and he has been stronger than anticipated after losing him mom, with whom he was extremely close.

After Cameron presented the Thomas family with the money that had been raised, she asked spectators to keep Jaylin in their plans — to offer to take him to play basketball or out for ice cream — and the crowd erupted. “It was very emotional,” she said. “The response was so beautiful.”