Annual Parrish Family 3-on-3 Memorial tournament held

Saturday, the parking lot of Holt Arena was filled with basketball hoops and players of all ages.

It was the 4th annual Bill Parrish family memorial 3-on-3 basketball tournament.

Bill Parrish, his wife Ross, and their two youngest sons died from carbon monoxide poisoning in Feb. 2014. A faulty water heater that was leaked carbon monoxide and there was no CO detector in the family’s home.

Now, three and a half years later, relatives and friends of the Parrish family are still raising awareness about the importance of carbon monoxide prevention.

This year’s basketball tournament had 55 teams participating. The tournament is co-sponsored by the Chubbuck Lions, and has several other major sponsors who contribute as well.

The money raised from team entry fees, concessions and raffle tickets goes toward purchasing carbon monoxide detectors for homes in Southeastern Idaho.

A portion of the funds is also used by the Lions’ program for sight and hearing preservation and restoration. It goes toward helping those in need get things like hearing aids or eyeglasses.

Carri Parrish Curtis, a relative and one of the organizers of the tournament, said each year, the tournament usually brings in about $8,000-$10,000.

Curtis said they work with local fire departments to help place detectors in homes in need. The detectors are also given out largely through the “No CO Foundation” to get detectors to homes that need them.

Curtis said this tournament is a way to turn a tragedy into an educational opportunity.

“Our intent and our purpose in creating this tournament and in creating the NO-CO foundation, was to take a tragedy and make something good out of it so that not one more life is lost to carbon monoxide poisoning,” Curtis said. “Not one more – it’s preventable.”

If you or someone you know needs a working carbon monoxide detector, you can apply online at cokills.org