FREMONT, Mich. — The halls of Fremont Middle School are empty right now as the district observes spring break.
But soon, the hallways will be filled with hundreds of people heading toward the gym to raise money for the American Heart Association.
On Saturday, April 13, the middle school will host the Heart Over Everything three-on-three basketball tournament. The event is now in its 11th year.
Fremont native Jacobb Stever started the event when he was just a freshman in high school.
"It basically started because in middle school or elementary school, they did Hoops for Heart, and that was like a pretty common thing," Jacobb said. "We would raise money and all the money would get donated to the American Heart Association, and I really loved doing that. But then when you get older in school, they didn't really do that, so when I got to high school, I was like, I could do my own fundraiser."
"It went from being a dodgeball game to a basketball game to a tournament, and then I just decided that three-on-three is the best way to reach the most amount of people."
For Jacobb and his family, the fight against heart disease has been personal for a long time.
"When I was five, my Aunt Connie, she passed away of a massive heart attack because she had heart disease that went undetected," Jacobb said.
"She was only 37, which is very young to suffer such a loss from something like heart disease or heart health in general."
Aunt Connie's death took a toll on the entire family, and Jacobb said he wants to do whatever he can to make sure no other families have to go through tragedies like that.
The tournament is his way of doing so.
All the proceeds go to the American Heart Association, and the event has gotten bigger as the years have gone by.
It started with just nine teams, all from Newaygo County. But before long, the tournament grew to 40 teams and many people were coming from hours away.
"To see people make that drive and to make that commitment to participating in our event, and spreading the word so that it keeps growing and growing, is something that for me, means a lot," Jacobb said.
"So many people come to me and thank me, and I try to listen to all the things that they tell me. They've gone through loss like I have. They came to play because they've lost a father. They've lost a family member. I'm so proud that we're able to give that peace to other people."
Jacobb's mom, Lori Bastion, has been one of his biggest supporters over the last decade of putting this event on.
"At first I thought he was out of his mind, and now I'm blown away by how big it's gotten. All through college, when college was stressful, he pushed. I couldn't be more proud, because he's come a long way," Lori said.
"Each year I just hope and pray it goes bigger and that he reaches more people and discusses the importance of heart health and Heart Over Everything."
If you'd like to participate in this year's tournament, you can register on the day of up until 9:40 a.m. The cost to play is $20 per person. The play begins at 10 a.m.
There will also be a three-point contest, a slam dunk contest and concessions for people to enjoy.
In the time that Jacobb has been putting on this tournament, he has noticed change happening.
He said he's seen more schools putting in defibrillators and people knowing what to do when they notice a cardiac emergency happening. However, he said there's still work to be done.
"One of the biggest misconceptions about heart health is that it's just a specific demographic. A lot of people kind of dismiss it because they're not older, or they're not overweight, or they eat healthy. They don't realize how many people can suffer certain things that if you let it go unchecked, it could be something that could be severe," said Jacobb, who noted that he has a heart problem of his own.
If you'd like to learn more about how to protect your own heart health, the American Heart Association has a number of resources on their website including:
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