Manitoba Basketball Hall of Fame - 2023 -24 Annual Report

 This was another eventful and successful year for our Manitoba Basketball Hall of Fame and Museum (MBHOFM). Manitoba is still the only province in Canada that has a permanent site for a basketball hall of fame. The following were the highlights:

1. Our 19th Induction Dinner is scheduled for September 28, 2024. The following individuals and teams were selected for induction:
1. a. PLAYERS: Jennifer Finch and Keith Strieter
2. b. BUILDERS: Wes Crymble, Joe Di Curzio, Tom Kendall, and Reynold Reyes
3. c. TEAMS: Neelin High School Spartans 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007 & 2008 Varsity Girls and St. Laurent School Hawks 1992, 1993 & 1995 Varsity Boys 
2. Our heritage inventory collection continued to grow. More and more people are realizing that the old uniforms, programs, clippings, etc. that we have stored in a box somewhere in our homes need a permanent home in our museum – all donations are welcome.
3. Based on a grant we received from the Manitoba Arts, Culture and Sport in Community Fund, we hired a person to begin the process of entering all items in our heritage collection into a database, Musetoba, purchased through our membership in the Association of Manitoba Museums (AMM). We now have almost 700 items entered. This allows public access to our collection via the Public Portal (PP). We now have three “sites”: our physical site at the University of Winnipeg, our Hall of Fame website with Basketball Manitoba, and the Public Portal site with AMM.
4. Based on another grant from Manitoba Sport, Culture and Heritage, we hired another person to conduct research and submit a report on the history of Indigenous people in basketball. We now have a research paper, many photographs, and a display on this important topic. In addition, we hosted a smudging ceremony in April.  
5. We continued to qualify as a Level 1 Museum through the Community Museum Grants Program. This year we have applied for Level 2 status.
6. We continued our membership in the Association of Manitoba Museums (AMM).
7. We continued to receive an annual grant from our endowment fund through the Winnipeg Foundation, where we raised funds to ensure our long-term sustainability.
8. We continued to change the displays in our display cases on a regular basis to highlight different themes or members of the Hall of Fame.
9. We purchased two new custom-made storage cabinets.
10. In the past year, January 1, 2023 - December 31, 2023, we had 11,807 visitors to our site at the Duckworth Centre.
11. Our financial situation remains very solid; we are committed to investing our revenues directly into our Hall of Fame and Museum site and the basketball community in general.
12. Our MBHOFM is open every day during the year from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. except for statutory holidays. 
13. Our committee members are Ross Wedlake (Chair), Vic Pruden (Past Chair), Ted Stoesz (Vice Chair), Janet McMahon (Treasurer), Jerry Ilchyna, Wes Crymble, Morris Glimcher, Jerry Hemmings, Carol Ploen-Hosegood, Ken Opalko, Susan Johnson, Coleen Dufresne, Kyla Shore, Tyler Crayston, and Adam Wedlake (Recording Secretary - Ex-Officio).

For 2024-25, the following are planned:

1. Our Induction dinner is in September. 
2. The further organization of our heritage collection and the further development of the Musetoba system. 

In conclusion, we need to mention the tremendous and continuing support we get from the University of Winnipeg and Basketball Manitoba. Our Hall of Fame and Museum would not exist without this support and the support of our extended basketball community.

Respectfully submitted by

Ross Wedlake, Chair, MBHFOM