Our Story

Hoops for HOPE is a small step toward healing a nation that is still feeling the ravages of genocide.

Between 1975 and 1979, a brutal communist regime called the Khmer Rouge exterminated an estimated one-and-a-half to two million Cambodians. In a country of between six and seven million people, the devastation was enormous (around one in every four people were killed).

Typical of communist regimes, intellectuals were specifically targeted -- stories abound of men and women being killed because they owned a pair of glasses (if you had glasses, you could read, and if you could read, you were an intellectual).

The national nightmare began to come to an end when Vietnamese forces invaded the country in 1979 and drove the Khmer Rouge into the forests, where they continued to dwindle in power for two decades until they finally surrendered in 1999.

But the country was devastated. The Khmer Rouge had brutalized and slaughtered its people, and had all but exterminated anyone with an education. The vital infrastructure of the already-weak nation was in shambles.

In 1996, visionaries from Japan, Australia, and the United States joined hands to establish the Sihanouk Hospital Center of Hope (SHCH) in Phnom Penh, which not only provides free care to the neediest Cambodians, but also seeks to train nationals in cutting-edge medicine so that they can be sent to serve in other hospitals across the country and bring healing not just to one city, but to an entire nation. The Sihanouk Hospital Center of Hope has since become a leading center of medical training in Cambodia. It is known across Cambodia as the “Angel Hospital.”

In 2009, the Sihanouk Hospital Center of Hope treated its millionth patient: a widow and mother who received treatment for HIV and (through a partnership with Habitat for Humanity) was also given a home.

2009 was also the year that Phil Arsenault, spurred on by the encouragement of Douglas Arthur, created Hoops for HOPE. Phil, an avid runner and former College basketball player, found himself walking a 5k to raise money for the poor. Turning to Doug (also a former College basketball player), he said, “This is pathetic! We need to do something radical! We need to play basketball for twenty four hours to raise money for the poor!” Doug, with his usual enthusiasm, said, “OK!”

What began as something of a pipe dream has since raised almost $900,000 dollars in the past 15 years for HOPE worldwide, its hospitals in Cambodia, and HOPE Massachusetts’ local causes like the Boston Police Teen Academy.

In 2015, Hoops for HOPE earned a citation from the Massachusetts House of Representatives for its “monumental strides” in helping the Cambodian poor. It was presented to Phil Arsenault by Rady Mom, the first Cambodian State Representative in the history of the United States.

Meanwhile, there was an affluent German family who had lost their daughter in a tragic accident and -- having a heart for the Cambodian people -- wanted to do something to honor their daughter and to help those who couldn’t help themselves. They poured $8,000,000 into a state-of-the-art facility in Kampot, Cambodia, which they then donated to HOPE worldwide because of the standard of excellence they have shown in managing the Sihanouk Hospital Center of Hope. The Sonja Kill Memorial Hospital opened in 2012 and has been a pillar of expert medical care ever since.

Over the past 10 years, Lowell General has sent several doctors to the Sonja Kill to train doctors to do many procedures including Laparoscopic Surgery. In November 2024, they will send a Pulmonologist and an ER doctor to the Sonja Kill Hospital. And many more doctors from Lowell General have volunteered to go to Cambodia in the future! Thanks to Dr. Milton and Debbie Drake who have been instrumental in building a partnership between HOPE and Lowell General. They also have made many, many trips to Cambodia to serve at the hospitals.

As Lao Tzu famously said, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” We have taken many steps the past 15 years but have a long way to go in continuing to help Cambodia heal but also bring healing through local programs in Massachusetts like the Boston Police Teen Academy led by Darryl Owens. A special thanks to Paul Waters who made an inspirational walk from Florida to Massachusetts with the help of his sister Mary and raised over $20,000! Thanks also to Phil, Maurice, and Jay who have helped lead Hoops for HOPE the past decade! Thanks to our young leaders (Collier, Brandon, etc) who have given of their talents and who will continue to lead this great work!