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New Jersey Student Hosts Basketball Tournament to raise more than $5,000 for the Measles Initiative
Bethany O’Neill, Special to RedCross.org
Tuesday, April 04, 2006 — After learning about the Measles Initiative from a fellow Red Cross Club member, Jonathan Malankar, a senior at West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North in New Jersey, knew something needed to be done to continue to reduce the unnecessary deaths caused by measles.
Malankar stated, "The movement to eliminate any disease is always important, especially when it is so tangible and close to being defeated."
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Teachers scramble for the ball during the Teacher Debacle.
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Launched in 2001 the Measles Initiative is a long-term commitment to reduce and control measles deaths globally, with the goal of reducing measles deaths across the globe by 90 percent by 2010. Over the past five years, the Initiative has vaccinated 200 million children in Africa, preventing approximately 1.2 million deaths. Leading this effort are the American Red Cross, United Nations Foundation, Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). In 2006, the Initiative expanded into Asia, where the measles burden remains high.
With all this in mind, Malankar knew something needed to be done locally to contribute to an already powerful and successful movement-the Measles Initiative.
The simple notion that "$1 = 1 vaccine = 1 child protected against measles" was enough to motivate Malankar into action. Using his past experience in management and events planning, Malankar began to take the necessary steps to plan a fundraising event with all proceeds going to the Measles Initiative.
With the help of his high school Red Cross Club (Advisor Fred Dearden, officers Priya Mehta and Rollin Say and 50 members) and the community, Malankar was able to successfully launch a 3-on-3 basketball tournament held in the Windsor-Plainsboro High School Gymnasium. The tournament consisted of teams of three from all grades competing in a single elimination tournament. The winning prize -- NBA basketball jerseys.
The school’s acapella group, "Out of the Blue," began the event by singing the National Anthem. This opening was followed by a performance by the "Platinum Steppers," the school drill team. The two groups set the stage for an exciting evening. The events leading to the basketball games and the games themselves were enjoyed by 125 fans cheering through the entire event.
The result of the 3-on-3 basketball tournament generated more than just cheers. More than $5,000, all to be donated to the American Red Cross’ Measles Initiative, was the final result of the night’s events.
"The community was flabbergasted," beamed Malankar.
He knew the Red Cross Club at the school was strong, and he wanted to use the club’s strengths to draw awareness to measles, a leading cause of vaccine-preventable death among children globally.
"[The event] was well organized. The money was for a worthy cause. All the teams were very competitive and I had a great time in the tournament," said Lee Jankofsky, player of Team Gold’s Gym.
"The main goal was to raise money for measles elimination. For under just a dollar, a child can be vaccinated," club advisor Fred Dearden emphasized. And raise money the team did. With the event’s success, just more than 5,000 children will be vaccinated against the deadly disease.
"The satisfaction of saving lives is a given, but to do it in such a large sum is powerful," said Malankar. Because of the enormous success of the 3-on-3 basketball tournament, the Red Cross Club hopes to turn the event into a yearly occasion.
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