The Viau's Story

"My Mom means everything to me. She has Huntington's Disease and that's why we started the Hoop-a-thon. I'm not going to be sad - I'm going to do something fun, give it all I have and help find a cure." -B.J. Viau

Debbie Viau suffered her onset of Huntington's Disease 13 years ago, when daughter Emily was 12 and son Bryan Jr. (B.J.) was 9. A few months later, the Viaus went to a fundraiser in Minneapolis. It was built around basketball, and there were perhaps 50 people in attendance. On the way home, B.J. asked his father, "You think we could do something like this in Apple Valley?" The Viau family's first Hoop-a-Thon was held in 1998, and $6,000 was raised. It's become a combination of basketball and family carnival, with a goal of raising $40,000 to $50,000 annually.