Every year, the Cardinal girls' basketball team hosts a game where they give back to the community and take part in something bigger than the game played on the hardwood.
Every year, the Cardinal girls’ basketball team hosts a game where they give back to the community and take part in something bigger than the game played on the hardwood.
On Dec. 22, in a game against Chalker, they hosted a “Mission Treats for Paws” event, teaming up with Geauga County Dog Warden Matt Granito to help provide the dogs and the shelter with what they needed.
“Usually we do a Toys for Tots with Geauga Job and Family Services, and we take presents to JFS, and this year we did something different,” Coach Domen said. “I contacted Granito in the summer and asked if he thought it was a good idea and if he could come out with a couple of dogs so we could present them with some donations. He was all about it, but when it came down to doing it, he only had one dog left at the shelter that was skittish, so he got to use my dogs for it.”
Granito, who also works as a referee for the OHSAA, has always had a close relationship with the Cardinal and Middlefield communities, making it seamless for Domen and him to work together for this cause.
“Matt’s great. He refs our Amish/Yankee tournament, so I know him quite well, and his kids went to school with my kids. It was easy to get hold of him, and he sent me a list of things the shelter needed, and I got it to our parents so they could help,” Domen said. “We donated two laundry baskets full of items that the shelter needed. He was very supportive of the whole thing.”
And the players’ parents were on board as well to help make this game special.
“When we have our parent meetings, I always tell them the things we’re going to do,o and I have parents that are really awesome and are willing to pitch in, whether it’s giving back to the community or spreading awareness,” Domen said of the basketball parents. “We do a thank you to the parents where we make poster boards and thank them for all the little things that they do. They do our team dinners, the 50/50 raffles, and lend a hand with the Amish/Yankee tournament, so I’m grateful that these parents are willing to do these kinds of things.”
Basketball is an excellent platform for anyone to use to escape life’s daily troubles, and a game day was a great way to leverage it to raise awareness about things that can go unnoticed.
“We have a lot of people that come to the games, and I feel that there’s a lot of things basketball can be used for,” Domen said. “When I decided on the dog shelter and had Granito talk about adopting a dog or how to donate, it was such a good platform to do that because we’re in front of a crowd, so that we can get it out to everyone.”
From the view of the Dog Warden, Matt Granito, this was an excellent opportunity for him and the Dog Shelter.
“It was fabulous to see the care they had for the animals,s and the want to help them out was amazing,” he said. “When (Coach Domen) brought it to my attention, I was absolutely interested because we have so many stray dogs that come in from Geauga County.”
Watching the team play for something bigger than basketball was a special moment.
“The idea of any community coming together and getting donations and food for these dogs is just amazing because these are homeless dogs that are looking for a home, and it’s also great because afterwards some of the players wanted to volunteer with us,” Granito said. “Not only did they help the animals, but it’s also allowing these students to come and do some volunteering for us.”
Seeing a young group of athletes willing to go the extra mile is an accurate representation of what the small, but mighty, Middlefield community is all about.
“It’s just an effort of the community to give help to people who rely on donations and people to volunteer, and it’s for a great cause. It’s great to be a part of that and this community,” he said.
Granito is open to working with other schools and teams throughout the County to continue spreading awareness for his cause.
“I hope that other sports programs see this in Geauga County and decide to do this, or something like this. We would really love it,” Granito said.
For anyone interested, the Geauga County Dog Shelter & Warden’s Office is located at 12513 Merritt Road in Chardon, and all donations are welcome. Monetary donations can be made out to the Geauga County Dog Shelter, and you can call them at 440-279-2180.
You can also find them on Facebook at “Friends of the Geauga County Dog Shelter and Warden’s Office” to see pictures and information of all the animals up for adoption.
