MENDOTA – A 501c3 public charity has been set up in the name of Karl Soliman by his parents, Shawn and Amy Soliman.

Upon establishing the charity, the Solimans offered the following:

“Karl was an amazing kid and athlete and always gave 100 percent. He excelled in all sports but loved basketball above all. He put in so much practice and spent countless hours improving his game. He loved going to see the Bulls play.

“He was the star point guard and the leader of his team, the Holy Cross Warriors. He was playing in a local tournament on Dec. 1 (which happens to be my birthday). It was late in the game and his team was trailing by seven points. Karl made a free throw and then made a quick three-pointer to bring his team within two points. That is what Karl did on the court. He led his team physically, mentally and emotionally every game. On the way back down the court I told the team to quickly foul (I am the coach of the team). We fouled with 18 seconds left and then Karl collapsed right outside the three-point line. He died doing what he loved more than anything and ironically after making a three-pointer. It was a packed gym with his friends, family, community, and seven other teams in the tournament from his conference. He was surrounded by the people and the game he loved most. Karl was an amazing kid on and off the court. There are so many beautiful testimonies of Karl's amazing character on his Facebook page it is unbelievable.

“During this sorrowful time we have established a 501c3 public charity called Karl's Krusaders, which is based out of our hometown, Mendota. Our mission and vision are essentially to promote active lifestyles, educate on and prevent sudden cardiac death, and encourage healthy well-being for everyone. We have many exciting events planned this year for children as well as adults in our community. We are very excited to offer these events to our rural community, since many of the local children have never had the opportunity to do these activities. We are putting our proceeds toward additional athletic opportunities for the area youth and upgrading athletic facilities at local schools and local leagues in our surrounding communities and our long-term goal is to build an indoor sports complex in our community. We envision including basketball courts, soccer fields that will double as baseball/softball fields, multipurpose rooms, therapy and lap pool, indoor track around the fields, and auditorium. We will use this complex to encourage people of all ages to be active and stay healthy. Our community is unbelievably supportive, so with financial support I know this dream for Karl will come true.”