Halifax Rainmen bringing sunshine to grieving Barrington students

By Kathy Johnson

THE COAST GUARD

NovaNewsNow.com

The Halifax Rainmen are bringing a ray of sunshine and hope to grieving students at the Barrington Municipal High School.

More than 400 students, staff and community members are being treated to courtside seats on Saturday (March 28) at the Metro Centre to watch the Rainmen take on the Montreal Sasquatch in the Premier Basketball League.

More than a game, the event is also a tribute to the late Shannon Knowles, a Grade 8 student from BMHS who passed away on March 11 after a 14-month battle with cancer. “It was the least I could do,” said team owner Andre Levingston, who along with his players would visit Shannon and her family while she was getting treatments at the IWK Health Centre in Halifax. “Shannon loved the Rainmen and she loved basketball,” said Levingston. “We lost her way too soon.”

At BMHS, excitement was building last week leading up to the game and the memorial tribute. “I’ve heard nothing but excited, positive comments,” said BMHS principal Dave Buckland. “The students are very excited and want to go and pay their respects to Shannon.”

The Tri-County Regional School Board also got in on the action, offering the use of up to seven school buses to transport students and staff to the game.

Levingston, who attended Shannon’s funeral at BMHS on March 14, said he was “overwhelmed by the number of people there,” adding the number in attendance indicates “the impact she had on a lot of people’s lives at a very early age.”

With Saturday designated breast cancer awareness day for the Rainmen, “We’re going to put as many people in pink shirts as we can,” said Levingston, adding the players will be wearing pinks shirts to warm-up, printed with Shannon’s number 91. “We just want to say thank you to her and show how much we love her and her family and friends,” said Levingston. “We feel their pain. Shannon will never be forgotten.” The game, which starts at 7 p.m. will be broadcast live on the Rainmen’s website rainmenbasketball.ca