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Basketball Court at Madison
Volunteers with the PlayForBurk Foundation braved the high temperatures on Tuesday afternoon to install two new basketball standards outside at Madison Middle School in Bartlesville. They also installed benches and picnic tables at the site.
The new equipment was installed in an unused section of the parking lot where students often congregate during their lunch time. The new equipment will replace an old basketball hoop that was in poor condition.
“This is something Burk’s friends at Madison and the Foundation have wanted to do together since Burk passed away,” said Clint Hansen, president of the PlayForBurk Foundation.
Hansen said the installations are valued at nearly $7,000, made possible through the donations of the PlayForBurk Foundation, family donors and others in the community who helped with the project. Foreman Construction Company also donated concrete and labor for the installation.
$1,500 of the funding was raised by four 14-year- old Madison students, who frequently volunteer with the Foundation. Shane Simpson, Kody Sims, Devin Fellows and Kamden Bryan helped come up with the idea to install new basketball facilities at the school to honor their friend Burk Hansen, who passed away in 2015 and loved playing basketball.
The boys raised money through a number of different projects, including a car wash, a movie night at the school, and a basketball tournament.
“It has been great to see these kids serving their community like this.” said Joey Eidson, principal of Madison Middle School, who also helped the volunteers with the installations. “This is a huge blessing for our students to be able to use these new facilities. I foresee that this area will be getting a lot of use by our students.”
Many of the installed items were inscribed with the logo for PlayforBurk to keep Burk’s memory alive.
“Burk was our friend, our teammate, and one of the best guys we’ve ever met,” said Shane Simpson, volunteer and one of Burk’s friends. “He was all about service, so that’s why we try to serve too.”
Another friend of Burk’s, Kody Sims said, “We think the students will love this, and it’s a great way to remember Burk.”
The PlayForBurk Foundation is a Bartlesville nonprofit organization created to carry on the legacy of Hansen’s son Burk after he passed away in 2015 at age 13. The foundation partners with local youth to promote service, faith, personal development and recreational opportunities for the betterment of themselves and their community.