Local Lions Clubs To Play Harlem Ambassadors For Charity

The Nanuet Lions Club will host its second annual basketball game for charity against the Harlem Ambassadors in conjuction with the Blauvelt Lions.

It's March 29 at 6:30 p.m. at Tappan Zee High School this year.

Tickets are $10 per person, $7 per child or $30 for a family of four, and all money from ticket sales will go to funding three scholarships for graduating high school students. Duane Penister, who will take over as the next president of the Nanuet Lions in June, said originally the group decided the scholarships were going to be open to just students in the East Ramapo School District, but they might open it up.

“Besides the scholarships, the money we raise will be split up between a host of other charities we often donate to,” he said. “Those charities go to veterans, people with diabetes, blindness and cancer.”

Last year, Penister wasn’t a lion but was asked to participate in . He turned it down, instead taking part in the game as a coach.

“It was very energetic,” he said. “The Ambassadors put on a show, so it’s not a regular basketball game. It’s a family-oriented event when they sometimes pull people from the audience and various events and tricks are performed during breaks in the game. It was a lot of fun.”

The Ambassadors will take on a team of lions members, local business owners and elected officials. Penister said they’re also in talks to get some members from the Super Bowl-winning New York Giants to play in the game, but couldn’t release any names because it’s not official yet.

After the game there will be a dinner at Xtravagant Taste in Congers, where people can meet those that just played. Tickets to the dinner at $25.

The lions are still also looking for sponsors for the game, and they accept a wide-range of sponsorship. Sponsors can pay $50 to get a mention in the program up to $1,000, which gets a full-page ad in the program, an invitation to the post-game dinner, a mention during the game and four tickets to the VIP section.

Tickets for the game can be purchased at the in Nanuet, Valentine Electric Company in Blauvelt and Bardonia Chiropractic in Bardonia.

The lions also accept donations for the event.

“We accept and appreciate any support from the community whatsoever,” Penister said. “No donation is too small or too large and they all go to a host of reputable charities.”