Just over two weeks since 15-year-old Deshaun Hill Jr. was fatally shot, Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns has joined a program aimed at generating money for north Minneapolis.
Hill, who was an honor roll student and star athlete at North Minneapolis High School, was fatally shot on the afternoon of Feb. 10. Murder charges have been filed against 29-year-old Cody Logan Fohrenkam, with the charges stating that he was seen on surveillance video walking by Hill on a sidewalk “close enough to possibly brush shoulders.”
As Hill continued walking in the opposite direction, Fohrenkam allegedly stopped, turned around and fired three shots, according to the charges. Hill was rushed to North Memorial Health Hospital where he died from a single gunshot wound to the head.
The program Towns has joined is a sweepstakes that will give one winner a pair of courtside seats to the April 10 Timberwolves game against the Chicago Bulls at Target Center, in addition to a postgame meet-and-greet with Towns, a signed jersey from Towns, pre-game dinner in the Lexus Club along with airfare and luxury hotel accommodations. Added up, the estimated retail value is $5,150.
Hey @Timberwolves fans! I’m partnering with @AlltrooOfficial to raise money in support of the Pride of the Northside Deshaun Hill Jr. Donate for a chance to win a trip to come watch me play, sit courtside and meet me after the game. Enter to win at https://t.co/aak1RK2KAu
— Karl-Anthony Towns (@KarlTowns) February 24, 2022
To enter the sweepstakes, you can donate certain amounts that get you a number of entries into the drawing based on the amount donated.
- $10 = 80 entries
- $25 = 400 entries
- $50 = 1,600 entries
- $100 = 3,600 entries
- $200 = 8,000 entries
The sweepstakes is part of the Change Starts With Me initiative, which supports youth programs, equality and rebuilding communities. After the contest ends in early April, proceeds will be issued as a grant to the Deshaun Hill Jr. Foundation. That foundation will then use the grant to support Minneapolis North High School scholarships, Young Life North Minneapolis and youth football programs in north Minneapolis.
A GoFundMe set up to support Hill’s family describes him as a “compassionate and loving young man,” with an “infectious smile and humble personality.”
“This is not the story of a kid getting caught up in the streets, quite the contrary. Deshaun is an honor roll student, what many have described as a ‘perfect’ kid. He is the heart of the North community, a representation of what could be, what should be,” the fundraiser said.
In an unrelated cause, Towns has partnered with Cue Health to give away $250,000 of COVID-19 tests to public schools in Minnesota and his home state of New Jersey.
