Helping Hands Game Ready To Help 2 Brick Families In Need

BRICK, NJ — Two Brick Township families have been chosen as the beneficiaries of the 33rd annual Helping Hands Benefit Basketball Game.

The game, which pits members of the Brick Township Police Benevolent Association 230 against members of the Brick Township High School football team, is set for 6:30 p.m. on April 27 at Lake Riviera Middle School, off Beaverson Boulevard.

The game raises funds for families facing financial hardship due to a serious illness. For 2023, the proceeds of the game will be split between the families of Billy Paterno, a 2-year-old who was recently diagnosed with leukemia, and John Lynch, a Brick Township teacher who recently suffered a stroke.

Tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for students and can be purchased in advance by calling Patrol Officers Joseph DeLuca, John Turrin or Michael Zolezi at 732-262-1100. Tickets also can be purchased at the door.

Those who are not able to attend the game can mail donations to Brick PBA Local 230, PO Box 1067, Brick, NJ 08723. Make the checks payable to the "Helping Hands Fund".

Billy Paterno "is a fighter and strong little kid," Andrew Leustek wrote on a GoFundMe campaign to assist the family. Leustek said Billy's parents, Bill and Danielle, "are hard-working, loving parents ... (and) some of the most kind-hearted people I know in this world."

Lynch has been a teacher at Brick Township High School for most of the last 22 years, mentoring many of his students in the trades. "Mr. Lynch is always supportive of his students in their various activities and sports, as well as in the classroom," a GoFundMe campaign created by a fellow teacher said. "His involvement in the community and with our special needs students by leading our Interact Club is remarkable. He is the first person everyone calls upon when they need something fixed or diagnosed."

Lynch, who suffered the stroke in January, "will need his home to be handicap accessible and will need to rent equipment so that his family can care for him, according to the campaign.

Questions can be directed to DeLuca at 732-262-1100.