In collaboration with the Hewlett House, LHS Key Club organized a night out at the nets for cancer awareness night. On Wednesday, March 6 at 7pm at the Nassau Coliseum, the Long Island Nets faced off against the Westchester Knicks. Tickets were sold for $30 with $10 going to the Hewlett House, an organization ran by Geri Barish, a five-time cancer survivor and an inspiration to all. Hewlett House works to support cancer patients at every stage of treatment and to provide services and care. To promote the event, students made flyers, made announcements, posted on the @lhskeyclubb Instagram, and shared the link to purchase tickets to friends and family.
To kick off the event, members of the LHS Key Club took to the court for the National Anthem as part of the Anthem Buddies pregame experience. The first 1,000 fans even won a nets hat for attending the event. On top of this, our very own junior Justin Haberman got the incredible opportunity to announce the game. Haberman stated, “Being able to cohost the game was one of the best nights of my life. It was an unbelievable experience and opportunity. The experience was educational and fun: I learned about everyone’s backgrounds and networked with the media team. I want to thank Dr. T for giving me this opportunity and Key Club for doing an amazing job raising money. I was proud and honored to represent Lynbrook.”
Furthermore, various groups of people were recognized for their battle with cancer, such as Gerri Barish, Eric Guzzo, and charities like the Daniela Conte Foundation, Little Saint Nick, and Hewlett House. The groups walked around the court during the Celebration Parade while the crowd cheered and celebrated them. Afterwards, they were recognized with purple cancer awareness jerseys and a picture was taken on the court. Throughout the game, there was plenty of entertainment, from dances performed by the Nets and Adelphi dance teams, shirts being thrown into the crowd, an inflatable basketball shooting area, the crowd volume meter, raffles and even delicious food and Dippin’ Dots for a sweet treat. Haberman explained how his favorite part of the event was “seeing what goes on behind the scenes and how much work is put into it; I attended meetings and sound check to make sure everything ran smoothly. I also loved speaking with Ally to learn about her journey and how she got to where she is now.
Finally, to culminate the night, Key Club Members and Virtual Enterprise students took a group picture on the court with Gerri and other Hewlett House personnel which was then followed by a free throw contest. Sophomore Key Club Treasurer Luke Pignataro expressed, “This event was so much fun. I really enjoyed competing with my friends during the free throw contest and watching the game with them. It really brought everyone together.” Junior Key Club member Ana Juarez agreed adding, “My personal favorite event was the group photos as it really showed how many people came out and supported this event!”
Ultimately, the event was an overall success. From the free throws to the Nets big wig everyone had a blast. Haberman exclaimed, “It was fantastic! It was very organized, and the Long Island Nets organization did a phenomenal job helping bring awareness to cancer.” Lynbrook looks forward to working with Hewlett House in the future and to attending this event again next year. #OwlProud
Date Added: 3/22/2024