PITTSTON — The stars are coming out in Pittston, and it’s all in the name of the game.
Night with the Stars: A Red Carpet Event will take over Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish Hall, 241 William St., rom 4 to 7 p.m. May 7 for a red carpet ceremony followed by food, dancing, basket raffles and a 50/50 drawing.
Proceeds from the night benefit Victory Sports, a non-profit organization that offers free baseball and basketball leagues for adults In Northeastern Pennsylvania living with intellectual and physical disabilities.
“The money pays for everything from uniforms to insurance to creating monthly events and activities, along with food when we have the events,” said Victory Sports board member Angie Morgan. “We supply everything from sweatshirts to anything they need to play.”
The fundraiser was organized by members of Junior Leadership Wilkes-Barre to fulfill the program’s community service requirement. A graduate of Leadership Wilkes-Barre’s core program, Morgan spoke to this year’s Junior Leadership Wilkes-Barre class about Victory Sports.
After her talk, she hosted a group of program participants at Victory Sports’ recent Valentine’s Day dance and said the young people “fell in love” with the individuals Victory Sports serves.
That’s when a group that includes Hanover Area High School junior Jared Stefanowicz decided to help Morgan’s cause.
“We picked Victory Sports because they’re local and they’re not something you hear about a lot,” said Stefanowicz, media outreach for his Junior Leadership Wilkes-Barre group. “There are a thousand events raising money for breast cancer and things like that; Victory Sports is trying to raise funds, too.”
Stefanowicz said funds will be raised through the $15 ticket price (which includes a free raffle entry), as well as the sale of additional entries, the 50/50 drawing and other monetary donation patrons are willing to give during the event.
As for the red carpet portion of the night, Stefanowicz said his group is hard at work arranging appearances from local personalities. The high school students also plan to reciprocate the inspiring night they had at Victory Sports’ Valentine’s Day dance.
“It’s like a prom red carpet event,” Stefanowicz said. “We’re going to have some people there who are from Victory Sports and we’re going to have some local celebrities there like (radio host) Jeff Walker.”
In May, Stefanowicz’s group will give a presentation on A Night with the Stars: A Red Carpet Event and hopes to report on a successful fundraiser, but that doesn’t mean Victory Sports will be without need.
Morgan said that, along with sports leagues, the non-profit also organizes picnics, bowling outings and movie nights — Victory Sports even plans to host a yoga session for individuals with disabilities. To learn more or donate, visit Facebook.com/VictorySportsNEPA or GoFundMe.com/Victory-Sports-NEPA.
