In collaboration with Hewlett House, Key Club organized the Long Island Nets Cross Up Cancer Night on Sunday, Feb. 23. The Long Island Nets faced off against the Osceola Magic at Nassau Coliseum; tickets were sold for 32 dollars, with 10 dollars going toward the Hewlett House, an organization run by Geri Barish, a five-time cancer survivor. Hewlett House works to support cancer patients at every stage of treatment and to provide services and care. To promote the game, students created social media flyers, made morning announcements, posted on the club’s Instagram page (@lhskeyclubb), and shared the link to purchase tickets with friends and family.
Before the game began, students, which included Key Club members and Virtual Enterprise students, attended a cancer awareness panel sponsored by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where they learned ways to prevent cancer, how to take precautions, and how to support loved ones with cancer. After the panel, junior Molly Schutzman opened the game by taking the court to sing the National Anthem.
Many game attendees received special gifts; the first 250 entrants won a purple, fuzzy Nets blanket. Key Club Co-secretary and senior Justin Haberman had the opportunity to co-host the game, continuing his LHS sports announcing tradition. “Co-hosting the Nets game was a surreal experience. I did it last year, but this time around, I felt more confident in myself because I had more experience behind a microphone and in front of a camera. I had a great time, and working with Ally [Melendez] was unbelievable,” Haberman expressed. Melendez is a television and multimedia host, and is specifically known as the Long Island Nets’ in-arena host. Key Club Treasurer Aidan Pearsall and senior Sean Strohofer also took courtside pictures. “It was an absolute blast to be able to take photos. I am so thankful for Dr. T [Benedict Tieniber] and Ryan Caldea for making this opportunity possible. I got to be in the action and experience the real job [I] see on TV every day,” Pearsall commented. Caldea is an account executive for the Long Island Nets.
At halftime, Key Club attendees participated in the Celebration Parade. Many cancer survivors were recognized for their battles, including Barish and Eric Guzzo; charities such as the Daniela Conte Foundation, Little Saint Nick, and Hewlett House also made appearances. Students stood around the court, high-fiving and cheering on the honorees. “Getting to support Hewlett House and take part in such an incredible event was truly rewarding,” Key Club advisor Tieniber commented. After the Celebration Parade, the students were rewarded with purple cancer awareness jerseys and took a group photo on the court. Finally, to culminate the night, the students took an additional group picture with Barish and other Hewlett House members, followed by a successful free throw contest.
