Marc Nakashian ‘23 and Matthew Lesnik ‘23 organized “3 for a Cure”, a fundraiser that raised money for cancer patients and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. The fundraiser took place on Wednesday, October 19 and Thursday, October 20, in the lower gym. On October 19th, the fundraiser was open to 5th to 8th graders, while the 20th was open to 9th-12th graders.
Nakashian shares, “Both Matthew and my family have been impacted by the effects of cancer, so it is a topic that is close to our hearts. We want to give back to the treatment center that helped our families so much during such difficult times. We wanted to give back, so we continued “3 for a Cure’”.
“3 for a Cure” was established by Matthew’s brother, Harrison, six years ago in 2016. Their mom, Stefanie, was diagnosed with breast cancer around this time, so it inspired Harrison to give back to the people that were helping his mom and other patients like her. Nakashian stated that, “it was a pretty easy and logical event to bring back.”
Lesnik and Nakashian combined the fundraiser with basketball, since they both enjoy the sport. Marc shares “Cancer has had its own effects on me and I really just want to do what I can do to contribute to helping.”
He comments, “a close second would be bringing the community together.” 3 for a Cure allows both high school and middle school students to participate in the fundraiser. Any scholar in fifth through twelfth grade could participate and donate. This is a unique occurrence due to the fact that there are rarely events incorporating both middle school and high school students.
While organizing this event, Dr. Neigel recommended that 3 for a Cure partner up with an in-school club. “Key Club was an obvious choice, since it is a club literally designed for community service and fundraisers,” Marc states, “This club is, also, a great platform to get the word out. All of its members are good people who truly want to help, which is exactly who we want to know about this.” All the proceeds from this event will be donated to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
“Even if students have not been personally affected by cancer, it is still a great cause to support. So many people are devastated by it every year,” Marc adds, “On top of all of the proceeds going towards a great cause, this event should be very fun.” The 3 for a Cure fundraiser was a success. The winners of the shoot out were Will Frank, a junior, and Lexi Shafer, a senior. Will scored fifteen in the final round and Lexi scored three. Overall, the fundraiser acquired at least $2,500.
