Friday,
January 13, 2017
Special to NJS.com
SADDLE RIVER – Just over four years have passed since the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut in December of 2012. As the years have passed the healing has been slow but the support for the community has come from near and far.
Locally, Saddle Rivery Day School and the school's Athletic Director/Girls Basketball coach, Danny Brown, has been a part of that support from Day 1.
When Brown heard about the shooting he was overwhelmed with sadness, concern and helplessness. He shared those feelings with his team and they came together to comfort each other in trying to make sense of what had happened. But then Brown went a step further. "I wanted to actually do something," he said. "So I called up Newtown High School to see how I could help."
After a few calls Brown got in touch with Newtown High School Girls Basketball coach Jeremy O'Connell. The two coaches became fast friends before working together to establish the 'Threes for Sandy Hook' foundation in an effort to raise awareness and funds for the cause and to help provide some relief and a small measure of normalcy to the devastated community.
A couple of months later, in February 2013, the Lady Rebels hosted Newtown at the Bill Bradley Athletic Center at Ramapo College for the first of what has become an annual basketball game between the two schools. Four years later, that game has evolved into a weekend.
"This year we are having a full weekend of games," Brown said. "We are going to have 200 players that will compete in over 20 games. From youth to junior varsity to varsity.
"We reached out to Ridgewood High School to see if they wanted to participate and they were thrilled to get involved. And from Connecticut, Masuk High School will be coming down so we are going have a varsity double-header to close out the first day."
This year's Threes' for Sandy Hook weekend tips-off on Saturday at Saddle River Day and Down Town Sports in Mahwah. SRDS will host 7th and 8th grade youth games beginning at 8:30 AM then feature two JV games before the varsity double-header. Newtown will play Ridgewood High School at 2:00 PM and then the host Lady Rebels will take on Masuk High School at 3:30 PM.
Down Town Sports will have boys and girls youth games, grades fifth through eighth, starting at 8:30 AM and running through 3:30 PM on Saturday; with teams from Newtown playing teams from around Bergen County. Sunday there will be more youth games at SRDS.
"It's become such an amazing event for such a great cause," Brown said of Threes for Sand Hook which raises money for the foundation through donations as well as by contributing $3 for every 3-Pointer the Lady Rebels hit each season. "But it's not just about the basketball games or even the money we raise, it's about the relationships.
"The girls on both sides look forward to this every year. They are excited to see each other to hang out with each other off the court as well as play the game itself. They've built lifelong friendships and it's really become something special beyond just a basketball game for a good cause."
In addition to adding more games, this year's event will help support another good cause. A portion of the money raised from the 2017 installment of the Threes for Sandy Hook event will go to support NorthJerseySports.com reporter, podcast host and do-it-all local sports personality, Rich Barton, in his battle with a rare form of bone cancer.
“Richie traveled with us to Newtown for both of the away event games, not just to gain access and insight to this amazing event for a story but to join with us as an 'all in' member with the same drive and moral fiber that we support and strive to represent," said Brown. " Richie has become a very near and dear friend to both of the SRDS and Newtown programs, to all of our girls, coaches and staff members and we wanted to support him like he has supported us for all these years.”
Barton, who was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer in October and has been fighting the disease ever since, has covered nearly every one of the Threes for Sandy Hook events.
"Our motto is 'healing through sports' and right now I can't think of a better person in need of our love and support, from our girls, from our families and from the "Threes" Foundation," Brown added. "We love Richie. He's going to beat this and we are going to help him do it."
To help support Rich Barton's fight against cancer please contribute to his Go Fund Me Page here. And visit the Threes for Sandy Hook foundation website for more information on the different ways to donate. |