BE's James a player with a cause

Donny James clearly remembers his daughter's initial reaction to the chilling news: His sister had lost her battle with breast cancer.

"I want to be the person who finds a cure for that," Mary Crawford James said to her father back when she was in middle school.

James, now a junior volleyball/basketball player and honor roll student for Bishop England, already had a perfect idea of how to help. Instead of collecting candy at Halloween, she'd round up donations for the American Cancer Society just as she had done the previous Halloween for a church-related charity. The original idea came on a whim, and though she no longer dresses in costume, James' tradition continues in memory of her aunt, Kathy James Miller, and several others.

Most recently, a rare form of tissue cancer claimed the life of her childhood friend and basketball teammate while breast cancer took a former middle school teacher.

One of James' neighbors is a breast cancer survivor, and a family friend is currently battling the disease.

"Cancer has been a big part of my life," said James, who has also donated 12 inches of her hair to Locks of Love, which makes wigs for cancer patients. "I wanted to do something different and help people."

Before heading out on Halloween night, James distributes flyers to her neighbors with the details of her story and efforts. She makes sure they know she's grateful for every contribution, whether it's a penny or a $20 bill.

"She just gives so much," her father said. "She brings chill bumps to me. She's always been so articulate."

Her neighbors' responses have been overwhelmingly positive. So far she's raised more than $2,000 for cancer research. Last year she collected a record $800.

"I hear a lot of stories," said James, the Berkley Co-Op October Student of the Month. "People thank me for what I'm doing and tell their stories. So many people have been affected in so many ways."

After James departs for college, she hopes her younger sister will keep the tradition alive.

"She's a really hard-working girl," Bishop England athletic director and girls basketball coach Paul Runey said. "Mary Crawford always cares about other people and always wears a smile.

"She seems to be there whenever someone needs her, but she's also a true competitor. She's that all-American kid who comes from a great family."