Greg Ellison, the field service manager for McDonald’s Corporation, has two passions outside of work and family: basketball and being a servant to humanity, particularly as it pertains to working with the Ronald McDonald Charities. The second Annual Herman Petty Memorial “Hoops for the House” Tournament enables Ellison to fully immerse himself in both passions simultaneously.
Last year, the 3-on-3 basketball tournament featured 53 diverse teams from across the mammoth Chicago metropolis and received great recognition from the Cicero Chamber of Commerce. This year, the event will be held at Unity Junior High School in Cicero, Ill., on Oct. 23 beginning at 9 a.m.
Ellison spoke briefly with rolling out about what the tournament means.
–terry shropshire
Why was the Herman Petty Memorial 3-on-3 Tournament founded?
The tournament was my brainchild about two years ago. When I joined the house council 2 ½ years ago, we looked at activities that we could conduct to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House. I thought that a 3-on-3 tournament would be an event that would resonate — not just in this community, but throughout the Chicagoland area.
I have a committee of about 23 individuals who work with me to try to raise funds as well as secure teams for the 3-on-3 basketball tournament, which is held in Cicero, Ill. The purpose of the event is to raise funds for the Ronald McDonald Charity House on the South Side of Chicago in Hyde Park. It’s basically to raise funds for families who come to the University of Chicago who can’t pay the hotel fees. They can come here and stay for a small stipend.
Who can participate in the Herman Petty?
Girls and boys, men and women, ages range from 10 on up. Last year we had 53 teams. [This year Ellison anticipates approximately 75 teams participating]. We get participation from all over the Chicago area as well as the surrounding suburbs and reach a wide variety of youth. It’s in a gym that has 29 courts. It’s a huge facility. It’s state of the art. So it’s a great event.
You also used the tournament as a way to pay homage to an American pioneer.
We named the tournament after the first African American McDonald’s owner-operator franchisee in America, Herman Petty. His wife was an active member on the house council until a few years ago. And we thought it would be a great idea to name the tournament in his honor.
This tournament enables you to dabble in one of your favorite sports while bringing deserved attention to worthwhile charities.
Basketball is definitely a love of mine, for sure. And we get to expose the Chicagoland area to the Ronald McDonald charities. One of the things that we’ve found [is] that … there are still a lot of people who are not familiar with the Ronald McDonald Charities. It’s also a great way for us to expose the things that Ronald McDonald Charities do.
