On Sept. 15, 2019, the Mele family received the news that every family dreads.

Damien Mele, 20, was killed in a car crash in Penn Forest Township.

Damien was well-known in the area, having graduated from the Lehighton Area High School in 2017.

Among his many interests was basketball, something he played for the high school team, a sport he enjoyed.

Wanting to do something in his memory, and because of his love of the sport, in 2022 the family decided to hold their first Damien Mele Memorial Basketball Tournament.

“I think one of the initial ideas was we wanted to put on an event that Damian would want to participate in and that basketball was such a big love and a big part of his life and all of our lives,” Damien’s brother, Vincent Mele, pointed out.

“So we thought basketball would be a perfect way to do that. So the goal was just make something that he would love playing in and it turns out a lot of other people love playing in as well, which is great.”

This year, they held their fifth annual tournament.

Each year, it grows bigger and better.

This year, there were 35 teams registered to play, which includes more than double the number of casual teams, in addition to the competitive teams. The games are 3x3 matches.

“This year, for the first time, we have a T-shirt sponsor, so we were able to put a cool five-year anniversary tag on the sleeve,” Lori Mele, Damien’s mother, said. “The sponsor is a company called Hoop Culture, a company that specializes in basketball merchandise, and run the largest youth basketball tournament in the country.”

And then, there was the basket auction. More than 105 prizes included baskets of pet supplies, a pasta basket, snack baskets, along with handmade craft items and gift cards from area businesses.

There were also premium prizes, including a Martin 000C Jr E StreetMaster Guitar donated by Angelo Mele, an autographed Philadelphia Eagles football jersey signed by Devonta Smith donated by Bob and Cindy Bauer, a major-league baseball All Star Game embroidered decanter and glass set, a 65-inch HD TV donated by MTN1 Amazon, and many more items.

The big winners, however, are the Lehighton High School students who are presented with scholarships — the purpose of the fundraiser.

“The money that’s raised goes directly back to the Lehighton Area High School students,” Damien’s sister, Taylor Mele, explained.

“We give them a scholarship that’s actually annualized for up to four years. So it’s really exciting they can apply for the scholarship. We’re actually in the midst of picking the 2026 winner right now. So everything goes right back to kids to help them with their education and hopefully keep them, you know, not worrying about financial burdens as they continue.

“With our scholarships, after this year, we will have given out over $20,000 in scholarships,” Lori Mele explained, “And we are happy to be able to continue that for as long as we can.”

The students, who receive the scholarships, are also grateful, Lori Mele shared.

“We’ve stayed in touch with some of them who have received the scholarships in the past. One sent us this beautiful quote about how the scholarship has enriched his life and he was so thankful of it, and that really touched our hearts.”

The scholarship will be awarded during the Lehighton High School’s Academics Scholarship Awards Program from 8 to 11 a.m. on April 24, in the school auditorium.

“We just want to say thank you to everybody who continues to come out,” Taylor added.

“I think it’s really amazing that we can put this event on five years in a row and we continue to get the support, the volunteers, the people to come out and play. So just thank you so much to everybody who continues to support. We hope to do it for another five, 10, 15 years.”