Leah Chapman
Leah Chapman
In 2010 we honored Leah Chapman. Born on May 10th 1994, Leah was a Mother’s Day gift to Christina and her father Ray. Wise beyond her years, she had a dream of becoming a teacher and attended St. Frances Cabrini elementary school. An honor student at Neshaminy Maple Point Middle school where she was on the track team, she was diagnosed in 8th grade with a rare childhood cancer. Even through her aggressive treatments she traveled to New York to watch her beloved brother, Eric, compete in the regional baseball championships. She was devoted to her parents and saw her cousins, players in the Jimmy V tournament for years, each weekend. Up until the time of her death, at age 14, she spent time with her friends, attending Neshaminy high school football games. During her illness she vowed to help find a cure for cancer.
This year’s event saw incredible support from her family and friends. It was the first year the Special Olympics fielded a team and also the first year of the Score Against Cancer program was instituted. The Score Against Cancer/Basketball program will forever dedicated to the memories of Josh Wilker, Greg Wolf and Leah Chapman.
Also new this year was the Jimmy V dedication wall, championed by Dino and Kathy DeIuliis and the Jimmy V After Dark event held at the St. John’s gym during a snowstorm. All the events that year raised $30,000.
