Local 174 battles Harlem Wizards in
charity basketball game
On May 17, members of Bridgewater Township Local 174 competed in a basketball game fundraiser to raise money for the 2015
Project Graduation for the Bridgewater-Raritan High School seniors in the school’s gymnasium. Before a packed crowd, the
“Hometown Heroes” team – made up of several members of Local
174 and the Board of Education, along with teachers and district
administrators – took on the Harlem Wizards.
“I’m 45 years old and the rest of my guys are in their twenties,”
noted Sommers. “(Early in the game) I scored a basket and a
couple of others guys did, (then the Wizards) were like, ‘not again.’”
Led by Bridgewater Mayor Dan Hayes, the Hometown Heroes
put forth their best effort, but the Wizards defended their name
and took home the victory with a score of 88-65.
No matter the score, the officers were more than happy to shoot
hoops because of the cause behind it.
“We know the backend; we know what could happen,”
explained Sommers of the horrors of accidents caused by highschoolers driving drunk. “The purpose of this is to save the kids
from making mistakes and we were so happy to be apart of it.”
Project Graduation is a program offered by many high schools
in the U.S. as an adult-supervised alcohol-free post-graduation
party to keep the high school seniors safe and out of dangerous situations.
Standing with three Harlem Wizards players, from left, Bridgewater
Mayor Dan Hayes and Bridgewater Local 174 officers Michael
Sommers, Anthony Mendoza, Patrick Knapp, Jack Kennedy and
Michael Leight.
“We’ve been doing it on and off for about 20 years, and it’s
always a phenomenal experience,” Sommers explained as he
pledged to participate again next year. d
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JUNE 2015
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