Being a community means more than just living in the same general area. It’s supporting each other in times of needs and fighting alongside each other. There is one annual All-Star game that brings together and it’s for a good cause: to fight cancer.

On Sunday, March 31, the Perryman Keglovits Foundation held their 17th Annual All-Star Basketball Games at the Koehler Fieldhouse at East Stroudsburg University.

This event is held to honor lives lost to cancer.  There are two specific people in particular featured: Arthur Perryman and Al Keglovits. Arthur Perryman was a basketball player who lost his fight to cancer at the young age of 19. Al Keglovits was a wonderful man who dedicated his life to coaching young boys in playing basketball. Each year we remember these two heroes, along with so many others worldwide, who have fought cancer with all they have.

There was a senior girls and a senior boys game. All proceeds from the event were for pediatric cancer, and were given to the Jimmy V. Foundation, Lehigh Valley-Pocono, and Lizzie’s Circle.

“We feel this game brings the community together, the same way the Stroudsburg-East Stroudsburg football game used to,” event organizer Richard Laverdure said. “People look forward to seeing each other and sharing stories and folklore.”

This event is important for many reasons – the main one being the ongoing fight against cancer. Cancer claims the lives of over 600,000 people each year of all different ages, according to the National Cancer Institute. According to The American Childhood Cancer Organization (ACCO), there are an estimated 15,780 children between the ages of birth and 19 years of age who are diagnosed with cancer each year in the U.S. There are also more than 300,000 children diagnosed with cancer each year across the globe.

Whether their fight ended in a win or a loss, their fight and their lives will always be remembered.

“I believe that cancer is an extremely terrible disease that claims the lives of over hundreds of thousands innocent people each year,” said sophomore Gaven Hibbert. “This is a disease that should be fought against and hopefully cured sometime in the future so no more innocent lives are taken.”

“I thinks it’s good for the charities as well as for the school for giving back,” said junior Ashley Echevarria. “Cancer is a leading illness in this world and the more money given will tremendously help the diagnosed and the parents.”

Pediatric cancer is rare, but it is the number one leading cause of death past infancy among children in the United States.

“One of the worst things is talking about pediatric cancer,” said junior Ritika Mamidela. “This cancer robs children of their innocence and childhood experiences.”

This All-Star game always succeeds in pulling the community together. The fans, players, coaches, and all the volunteers show how much they care about helping people struggling with cancer.

For more information on the event, take a closer look at the flyer located on this page. Don’t forget to donate and help the fight against pediatric cancer.