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This Sunday, the Twin Cities Hoop-A-Thon will host its 13th annual event.

St. Thomas alumnus and former basketball player BJ Viau started the fundraiser when he was 10 years old to raise money for Huntington’s disease research. BJ’s mother was diagnosed with the degenerative brain cell disorder in 1996, and he and his sister have a 50 percent chance of developing it.

Participants can raise money by either donating a flat fee or getting sponsored for every basket they can make in 5 minutes. Last year’s event raised nearly $40,000.

St. Thomas senior and Hoop-A-Thon’s Public Relations Coordinator Josh Peltier says they are expecting to make even more Sunday.

The event will take place from 1 to 5 p.m. at Eastview High School.

Michael Ewen can be reached at mtewen@stthomas.edu.