On Tuesday, January 17th, the Lenape Valley Regional High School Boys Basketball team will hold it's second annual Silent Night game to honor Nick Wihlborg. Nick Wihlborg, a Stanhope resident, died of leukemia at the age of 12 in November of 2014. The LVRHS team is partnering with The Nicholas Wihlborg Foundation to raise awareness regarding childhood cancer and keep Nick's memory alive. The game will be held at 7 p.m. at Lenape Valley High School. The cost of admission is the regular Lenape Valley cost, $3/adult and $2/per child.
The game will be a "Silent Night" game. The concept is that the spectators will remain completely quiet until Lenape scores its eighth point, in honor of Nick's favorite number. "Having the crowd stay quiet until the eighth point is a great way to remember and honor Nick," said David Wihlborg, President of The Nicholas Wihlborg Foundation. "The Silent Night game we held last year really made an impact on the kids and our community. It was an emotional night for our Foundation and the Lenape players. The crowd was really into it too, there were lots of laughs and a few tears. It's a special moment."
Nick would have been a freshman at Lenape this year. This annual game was established so his peers can remember him as they journey through high school. Nick loved and played all sports, but baseball was his true love. Prior to his passing, Lenape awarded Nick with a varsity letter. Lakeland Little League also retired his number, which was #8.
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The Nicholas Wihlborg Foundation runs multiple events throughout the year to raise funds. This event is for the kids to participate and remember their teammate and friend in a fun way.
To learn more about the Foundation and how they are battling back against childhood cancer, please visit their website at www.nick8w.org.
