McMaster's Joe Raso and Tracy Vaillancourt will be honoured tonight (Dec. 1) with Lifetime Honourary Child Abuse Council Memberships for organizing Canada's largest university basketball game and anti-bullying seminar in October.

Raso, McMaster's men's basketball coach, and Vaillancourt, an assistant psychology professor, organized the world's largest classroom for youth at Copp's Coliseum on Oct. 30. More than 11,000 youth, teachers, community professionals and parents attended the “bullying versus basketball one-on-one” day-long event. Their message about ending bullying was supported by the council's live performance of the play The Diary. Students learned about using their power wisely, how to identify types of bullying and how they could prevent bullying. They also cheered on the McMaster men's basketball team in their winning league opener game.

Sergeant Nancy Goodes-Ritchie and P.C. Jack Vanderpol of the Hamilton Police Service also will be recognized by the Child Abuse Council at the Friends of the Ad & Sales Annual Charity Christmas Auction tonight at Michelangelo's Banquet Centre.