NORWICH – While the focus this weekend will be on the 16th annual Gus Macker 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament itself, it’s a force of over 500 volunteers who routinely make the event so successful year after year.
From set up to tear down, to the dozens of Gus Busters who referee each and every game, these dedicated volunteers are on hand in the days leading up to the event and throughout the weekend, making sure that everything is running smoothly.
According to Norwich Family YMCA Executive Director Jamey Mullen, who’s volunteered every year since Gus Macker first came to Norwich, it’s really very simple – without the volunteers, many of whom return every year to help out, the tournament and fundraiser doesn’t happen.
From garbage pick-up to basket set up, tear down to “Gus-busting,” hospitality, registration and medical, the hundreds of volunteers at Gus Macker are an invaluable resource, said Mullen.
“It’s a show of community support; it’s not just one man or one organization,” he added. “They don’t have to be here but they believe in the event and the community, so they support it.”
Mullen said that months are spent preparing for the tournament and the thousands of people it draws to the city every year. He is most proud – he added – of the community resource the tournament has become, helping numerous organizations – not just the YMCA – raise thousands of dollars in funds.
The total number of hours spent by volunteers at Gus Macker, said Mullen, is incalculable, but easily adds up to tens-of-thousands. The Gus Busters alone spend nearly 2,000 hours volunteering their time over the weekend, he calculated.
