Jon Sauld always described his daughter, Emily, as a competitive basketball player.

But in a unique way, the Lisbon resident emphasized.

"She was not in other people's faces, but was trying to achieve and to be better," he explained. "She was always challenging herself."

Now, her family is challenging themselves and the community to raise money to build an outdoor basketball court in her memory, at Lisbon Oaks Park.

Emily was healthy and playing in two basketball leagues in 2019 when she began her freshman year at Arrowhead High School. But she became suddenly ill and was hospitalized at Children's Wisconsin. She died six days later on Sept. 21, after battling an autoimmune disorder. She was 14. 

"It was very unexpected, said Emily's mother, Susan "We have no idea why (she got sick)."

Susan said Emily's goal was always to help her teammates and make them better, whether at Merton Intermediate School, her AAU basketball team or the Arrowhead Basketball Club traveling league.

If her school or club had two teams, and she was assigned to one, her father said, Emily often went to the other games to support the other girls on the other team.

Her sister, Samantha, who was just shy of two years older than Emily, remembered the training it took for Emily to be more physical with her game because she was so nice. 

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If she accidentally knocked someone down —  as she could have in a physical sport, as she was nearly six feet tall — she was the first to help them back up, her father said.

Once, when she fouled out of her basketball game in the first half, she was crying at the end of the game.

One reason, her father said, is she felt she let her teammates down by not being able to play.

Because of Emily's focus on others and because her parents taught their children to  give back to the community, the Sauld family is launching a fundraising campaign to build a full-sized asphalt basketball court at Lisbon Oaks Park, a public park, in Emily's memory.

"We want this (the basketball court) to be about and for the community," said her mother.   

The campaign is scheduled to launch from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 18, at the Lisbon Community Festival at Lisbon Community Park, N78 W26970 Bartlett Parkway.

"When we started with the idea, we did not have the strength to move forward," said Jon. "(Emily's death) knocked us on our backs." 

At the festival, the Sauld family plans to be at a booth where people can make a donation and learn more about the Emily P. Sauld Memorial Basketball Court.

When the Sauld family was thinking of a way to give back to the community in memory of Emily, a basketball court seemed like the perfect option. Emily started playing basketball in fifth grade, and often she and her sister would look for a school court or park to play in.

Like most families in their Lisbon neighborhood, the Saulds had a basketball hoop in their driveway. But Jon said it wasn't the most ideal for playing.  When people missed a shot, he said, they often had to chase the ball down the driveway. A court, he said, would be so much better.

Lisbon Oaks, nearby at W267 N7055 Lisbon Oaks Drive, does not have a full-sized basketball court. The Sauld family worked with town officials and has the area picked out for the court. "(Town officials) have been very gracious to us," said Jon.

Having a court at the park could encourage neighbors to play and have a "good bonding time," he said.

Samantha added that the court may entice more of the younger generation — especially girls — to pick up the sport.

While the family is working on a cost estimate of the basketball court, their fundraising goal is at $55,000. "It will look so beautiful," Jon said.

Susan Sauld added that since the family moved to Lisbon 10 years ago, the family connected with the community, and over the course of Emily's life — and her death —the community was always there for them.

"We want to give back to the community," she emphasized.

Samantha remembers a common theme from people attending her sister's funeral: "She was always so positive."

Whether as a starter or on the bench, Emily made it a point to "continuously be positive," Samantha said.

She made friends wherever she went, she recalled. "She was not one to be in a clique," Samantha said. "She was just living each day with a positive attitude. She made such an impact."

"She was an old soul," her mother added. "Very caring."

Her family said her coaches loved her, and she was looking forward to playing on the team at Arrowhead High School.

And multi-talented, her family was quick to point out. At Merton Intermediate School, Emily was the master of ceremonies at her eighth-grade graduation, president of the National Junior Honor Society, involved in Student Senate, performed in various musicals, played soccer and volleyball, volunteered for HAWS and was considering going out for discus or shot put on the high school track and field team. 

She also showed a talent for poetry and art.

The summer before she died, she wrote a poem titled "It Will Hurt," detailing challenges and how to work through them. She illustrated it with a self-portrait in her basketball jersey. The poem ends: "But I promise you this, when you reach your goal, it will have been worth it."

Th poem is written on her gravestone in its entirety, her father said.

"It (Emily's death) taught a lot of people to appreciate each day and be thankful for what you have," said her mother.

To make a donation to the Emily P. Sauld Memorial Basketball Court, visit spot.fund/EmilySauld Memorial or call the town of Lisbon Parks Department at  262-246-7266.

Cathy Kozlowicz can be reached at 262-361-9132 or cathy.kozlowicz@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @kozlowicz_cathy.