They stayed right to the end.
Under the grey January skies, the ground muddy from the rain, half a dozen young men and their former basketball coach silently watched as the crane and shovels poured earth over the flower-draped coffin.
The Scarborough Roadrunners went from being underdogs to four-time provincial youth basketball champions--thanks, in part, to their unsung hero: volunteer Chita Lontoc.
Most of the funeral party had already left to go to the building for refreshments, including the mother, who had to be held and comforted throughout the whole ceremony, wailing as loved ones had laid flowers over her daughter’s coffin.
Former coach Donnie Williams says volunteers change more lives than they realize. His underfunded underdog youth basketball team had shocked everyone by becoming provincial champions – four times. A decade later, he and former players remember their unsung hero: volunteer Chita Lontoc. Lontoc’s dedication as a volunteer for the once struggling basketball team inspired the powerful scene three years ago. The bank manager had passed away at age 55 from Lou Gehrig’s disease, or ALS, on Jan. 1, 2008. Williams says he never forgot Lontoc’s kindness, and that’s why he and the team stayed right to the end to watch her burial.
“Chita is gone but never forgotten – I can’t begin to express what she meant to those boys,” says the 50-year-old, during an interview at the John Innes Community Centre in downtown Toronto, where he now works as a recreation programmer. “She was such an amazing person . . . and I never forgot what she did for us, and how she changed our lives forever.”
Responsibility, loyalty, dedication, selflessness and leadership were some of the life lessons Lontoc taught the team a decade ago when the boys were still teens.
Upon finding out she was dying from ALS, their team, the Scarborough Roadrunners, made sure Lontoc knew how much she meant to them by giving her a plaque of appreciation in 2006. It read: “In appreciation to Chita Lontoc from the Basketball family. We can never repay you for all you have done.”
As the delighted Lontoc, in a wheelchair, accepted her gift, there wasn’t a dry eye, even as the boys had grown into young men.
Chita Lontoc with her sons Jayme, left, and Raymond.
First looked down upon as the undersized, underfunded underdogs, the Scarborough Roadrunners saw their fortunes remarkably change, which the team credits largely to Lontoc, whose son Raymond was also a player. Many players were from broken homes or disadvantaged neighbourhoods in Toronto, but being in the team helped them move away from the “path of trouble” and raise their school grades each year, says Williams. She was a constant presence and support, ensuring players had enough funds for food, uniforms, travel and tournaments. “She was a lifesaver,” he says.
While other teams were better funded and had much taller players, the Roadrunners had incomplete uniforms, the wrong shoes and could not attend out-of-town tournaments due to the costly fees. Lontoc eventually lent a helping hand from her own wallet and fundraising.
“(Other teams) looked down on us, but we had a lot of heart,” says Ronnie, Donnie’s 24-year-old son, who first played for the team when he was 12.
The basketball team that could went on to capture the Ontario Basketball Association’s four provincial championships, twice in 40-0 undefeated seasons in 1999 and 2001.
“Without Chita, we wouldn’t be able to showcase our talent across Ontario,” says the younger Williams.
Learning how to be disciplined, mature and responsible students, the players juggled games with studies. The entire team eventually went to college or university, half with basketball scholarships. One of the boys is now playing professional basketball in Europe.
The younger Williams and Omar Sybbliss, 25, share the same warm memories of the woman they consider family and who treated them just like they were her sons. They remember sleepovers at the “mansion,” the Lontoc’s beautiful home in the suburb of Scarborough, playing pranks, talking about life and travelling to different cities.
Inspired by Lontoc, the younger Williams volunteered at the Boys and Girls Club and basketball camps while in college where he won a U.S. basketball scholarship. With a business marketing degree, he landed a job in the banking industry and hopes to work with children as a coach in the future. “Remembering what Chita had done for me made it more meaningful and easier to do because I knew how much it means to kids,” he says.
Sybbliss began volunteering as a basketball coach and camp counsellor in community programs even while he was still a kid himself. He graduated from college in London, Ont., with a financial planning and international business diploma. He’s now a program facilitator for group mentoring at the Pathways to Education stay-in-school program in Toronto.
“She was a great person, one who was very caring and loving and always put people before herself,” Sybbliss says.
Chita Lontoc
Even as she was physically deteriorating, she had personally raised funds for ALS research through Sunnybrook hospital, organizing a dinner-dance ballroom fundraiser and spreading awareness to as many people as she could about the urgency of research to find a cure. “Hopefully, I can inspire a lot of people to make the best out of their life . . . inspire other people to enjoy life,” she had told the writer in an interview for a 2007 story on ALS featured in the Toronto Star.
“(Volunteerism) is a cycle of people helping people and changing the lives of many, many people to make it better,” the elder Williams says. “Volunteers teach you to believe in yourself and see the light at the end of the tunnel . . . the work (volunteers) are doing is priceless.”
One moment he can’t forget, he says, was when Lontoc surprised the team by treating them to a swanky restaurant when they were playing in London, Ont. The team was used to eating at McDonald’s but was touched by another generous gesture from Lontoc.
Upon the end of the interview, the elder Williams surprises the writer by asking her what she wants for lunch—his treat. He says he wants to return Lontoc’s kindness.
After the writer politely thanks him and says it’s not necessary, he insists on the treat and soon returns with jerk chicken, rice and soda.
“Love that lady,” he says, his kind face showing gratitude as he remembers Lontoc. “She was an angel getting her wings.”
From left to right: Omar Sybbliss, 25, Donnie Williams, 50, and his son Ronnie, 24, will never forget Chita Lontoc's impact on their lives.
About Christl Dabu
