WW-P South group raising money for Team Annie
By Bob Nuse, Sports Editor
Last year Juan Pena-Velasquez was the one being honored by the group from West Windsor-Plainsboro High South participating in the St. Baldrick’s fundraiser to help conquer childhood cancer.
This year Pena-Velasquez is part of the team doing the honoring and he couldn’t be happier.
”It is very nice the being on the other end of giving,” said Pena-Velasquez, a senior at WW-P South. “I am having a lot of fun.”
Pena-Velasquez is one of seven members of Team Annie, which is led by WW-P South teacher and coach Bryan Fisher. The team consists of Fisher, Paul Hamnett, an assistant principal at WW-P South; Josh Verb, a South grad and former teacher who is now living and working in Las Vegas; Pena-Velasquez, a senior at WW-P South; Tim Stevens, head boys basketball coach at WW-P North; his brother, Brian; and Chris Morales, JV boys soccer coach at South now working in Hamilton.
The seven are growing beards and having their hair grow out in preparation for a March 14 event at Amalfi’s in Lawrenceville, where the team will shave their beards and heads.
WW-P South special education teacher Kerry Kemo has done a lot of the work to spearhead the fundraising and will be one of the main people at the Lawrenceville event.
”It’s a good bunch of guys and there is a great attitude about the event in the building,” Fisher said. “We’ll all be shaving our heads and beards on March 14. So far we’ve raised over $2,500 and we’re hoping to go higher before we’re done.”
The team has been selling charms and when people donate a dollar their names go up on the wall at South. When it comes time for the head shaving five team members will be at Amalfi’s, while Verb will be in Las Vegas and Pena-Velasquez will be with his classmates on the senior trip in Orlando.
”Juan will be shaving his head in Disney,” Fisher said. “We’re trying to set something up so when he does it maybe we’ll have Mickey Mouse there with him. And it will be nice because all of the seniors on the trip will get a chance to be there and see him when he shaves his head.
”It’s kind of neat because we’ll have one guy in Las Vegas and another in Florida and then the rest of us here in Lawrenceville.”
”That will be awesome,” Pena-Velasquez said. “I really don’t know how it will go down or if it will be big public thing or just a couple people. One of my best friends will be the one shaving my head and one of my teachers told me I have a trimmer for the beard and just bring it and we can use that.”
A year ago at this time, Pena-Velasquez was battling cancer and was the honoree of the group. This year Pena-Velasquez is healthy and part of the team that is honoring Annie Woodrick.
”This year we are honoring Anne Woodrick, who is fighting pancreatic cancer,” Fisher said. “She is a teacher in Robbinsville and she has had such a positive effect on the lives of so many kids. It seemed appropriate to honor her. There are a lot of people at Robbinsville with West Windsor connections and we’re bordering schools.”
For someone like Pena-Velasquez, who has been part of the battle, being able to be a part of this team is something special.
”I am very glad I can be part of their team,” he said. “Some of them are my teachers and husbands of teachers. They are all great. I’ll probably go get a crazy haircut and when people stop and ask why my hair is all crazy and I can tell them and tell them to donate.
”Last year I was an honored kid. Mr. Fisher and the others honored me and people there on the shaving day had super crazy hair. Some had purple hair with mohawks and some had green spiked hair. I want to do something like that. I have asked a lot of my doctors and people I went to camp for cancer with to donate and they can’t say no.”
On March 14, Pena-Velasquez and the rest of the team will do their part to help raise funds for cancer research.
”One of teachers told me I could Facetime somebody over there and get some live communications while I get my head shaved,” Pena-Velasquez said. “Hopefully I can do that while they are also getting their heads shaved.”
To make a donation to any of the team members to help support the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, visit the Team Annie page at www.stbaldricks.org/teams and search for Team Annie.