On Saturday, April 28th, nearly 100 people gathered at Baruch College in New York City for Hoop From the Heart, a 3-on-3 charity basketball tournament to honor Jay Katz. Katz passed away in 2012 from heart disease, and his daughters, Jennifer Kaplan and Rachel Katz, wanted to honor the love their father had for the game of basketball.

“Our father loved to play hoops. Whether it was his JCC league, a pick up game in the park, or Horse in our driveway, he was game. Basketball combined a lot of what made him so passionate about life — being active, supporting others, and having fun. It’s now been five years since we lost him to heart disease. And it’s taken that long to find the perfect way to honor him,” Jennifer and Rachel said. They selected Up2Us Sports as the beneficiary of the event for sharing the same values their father cared so deeply about. 

The tournament was planned in collaboration with Indoor Hoops. 18 teams competed in the double elimination tournament. The event hosted pop-up shops from Egg Baby, Prim & Paper, Bonnie Jennifer, Skiddy Bop and Ultimate Spectacle.

A big thank you to all the brands that donated healthy snacks and drinks: Heyday, RHYTHM, Aloe Gloe, Essentia, Nuttzo, Panatea, Bobo Bites, FreeYumm, and La Columbe. As well as raffle donations: Dr. David Colbert/ColbertMD, Gorjana Jewelry, Lester's Clothing, Les Boys Les Girls, Marinara Pizza, Kinky Boots on Broadway, Barry's Bootcamp, Rumble, Uplift, Sugared and Bronzed, Gotham Glow and Long Island Plastic Surgery Group.