Kenny Hulshof: “I rise and have the privilege perhaps on a lighter note to report the outcome of the seventh annual Hoops For Hope…”

“I rise and have the privilege perhaps on a lighter note to report the outcome of the seventh annual Hoops For Hope basketball game between Washington, D.C.'s elite lobbyists and Members of Congress. Perhaps the broad smile on my face or the gleaming hardware to my left might provide some clues as to the outcome of last night's contest. Seven years ago, Paul Miller of the American League of Lobbyists hit upon the idea that perhaps lobbyists and Members of Congress could move away from the political arena and actually have a contest on the court. While I will report to my colleagues the games have been intensely competitive, the game has had a more noble purpose, and that is to raise money for kids in the inner city of Washington, D.C. Last night, through the generosity of a lot of people, we raised $50,000 from just last night's event, bringing the running total of these several contests to over $200,000. Again, there were a lot of people that deserve a lot of credit for helping make that event a success. Certainly our former colleague, Jack Quinn of New York, who, of course, now has gone over to the lobbyists side. When Jack Quinn was a colleague here and was our coach, he had an undefeated record. Unfortunately, his former colleagues last night marred that record and gave him a defeat; but, again, I appreciate all the work that Jack did, that Paul Miller did. George Washington University was very gracious in hosting the event yet again.…”