NORWICH – For several hours on Friday employees of Norwich’s NBT faced off in competitive basketball games with the goal of raising donations for Chenango United Way.
The NBT Shootout for United Way was held right outside NBT's headquarters in Norwich, where employees setup hoops in a section of the parking lot, sold hamburgs and hotdogs, and played some competitive basketball in the name of charity. Officials said even though this is the first year they've tried a fundraiser like this, the event raised $3,910 towards Chenango United Way.
NBT President and CEO John Watt said this new basketball event stemmed from the hard work and dedication of individual employees including, Victoria Trask, Brian Burton, and Rich O'Hara, who cared about their community and wanted to make a difference.
“Kids are going to bed at night, hungry, in Chenango County,” said Watt. “We have a local organization, Chenango United Way, that is helping those kids get a meal, and that’s only one of the reasons why they deserve our support.”
He said after the employees came up with the concept for the fundraiser, the company opted to give employees paid time to play basketball, and they also provided food to be sold for further donations.
“This first year was a great success with just NBT employees participating in the tournament, but if in the future another company wanted to face off against our teams, NBT is always up for the challenge,” said Watt.
