Emotional night for Morris youth football

MOUNTAIN LAKES – Wharton football players who lost their home to a fire. A Randolph referee recovering from a stroke. Kids from Mount Olive, Parsippany, and Denville suffering from various forms of cancer.

There are a lot of people in need within the Morris County Youth Football League family, and their charity organization does its best to help them all.

Some of those families were honored Tuesday night, as the Morris County Youth Football League handed out checks to families in need within the organization at its fifth annual banquet at the Zeris Inn at Mountain Lakes.

“Today’s purpose is to congratulate everyone on a successful season and to honor some special people,” MCYFL Board President Chuck Harvey said.

The charity has raised nearly $104,000 in five years for families battling cancer or other diseases, including $31,500 in 2014, according to Jerry Davis, vice president of the Board of Directors of the nonprofit MCYFL Charities.

“Not bad for a youth football league,” Davis said.

The charity raises money for their own, mostly local kids who have battled life threatening illnesses like leukemia and brain cancer, while also teaching the young players the importance of helping others in their time of need. While most recipients are players, league cheerleaders, referees, and general friends of the program have also been aided.

Counting Tuesday evening, 20 families have been honored in the past five years, and many previous recipients returned to express their gratitude.

Families from Denville, Parsippany, the Mendhams and the Chesters plus Somerset were honored Tuesday night and shared emotional, personal, difficult stories about the tough battles they continue to fight.

There were some laughs, standing ovations, and plenty of tears. All who spoke stressed the importance of football in their family’s lives.

The evening also included a moment of silence for the children the charity has helped who have lost their battles.

“Until last year we had never lost anybody,” Davis said.

Previous honorees say ‘thanks’

Past recipients that spoke included Walt Panek, a referee in the league who suffered a stroke in August 2013.

“He’s reffed many of my games over the years and is by far one of the best,” said Davis, who is also the head coach of Randolph’s youth varsity team.

For a month, Panek, 52, of Randolph was completely unable to talk, but has slowly and steadily improved over the past year through extensive rehabilitation, enough that he was able to be a sideline referee for some games this season.

“It was hard at the beginning of the season but I can now talk with coaches on the sideline,” Panek said.

He was honored at last year’s banquet, given money to help him pay for rehab while he remained out of work, but at the time he couldn’t properly express his gratitude.

“I was here last year but could barely say a couple words,” Panek said.

Since’s he’s doing significantly better now, he wanted to say thanks to those who helped him, and offer his assistance in any way he could to whoever needed it.

“I know I’m not perfect yet, but things for me are better now, and I can help someone else,” Panek said.

Another recipient was a Wharton family whose South Main Street home was destroyed in a January fire. They had three boys in the league, and within a week, a storage container was filled with items to help the family get back on their feet.

“Their apartment was fully furnished, clothes, computer, everything to make it into a new home,” Davis said.

MCYFL started the charity in 2009, collecting money during games in containers at the snack stand for three families.

Now they additionally raise money through fundraisers with Rutgers and Modell’s, and a hold a “Gold Out” fundraiser every September. Gold items including shirts that say “losing is not an option” and helmet stickers are ordered and sold by each program in the league, and every team gets a special Gold Out home game during the month to wear the items.

The gold out was started last year by Parsippany’s Brenda Ries in honor of her son Sean, who developed a brain tumor in 2012 when he was 5 years old. Sean’s older brother plays on the Parsippany youth football team.

Tuesday night Reis laid out some hard facts to the hundreds in attendance; 46 kids are diagnosed with cancer in the U.S. every day. Seven kids die from cancer every day in the country, she said.

Reis also said this year’s Gold Out raised $13,000, and Sean stepped up to the podium to say ‘thank you’ to all who donated.

The MCYFL attracted attention in November after suspending Mount Olive’s varsity youth football team for the remainder of the season for what it said was poor sportsmanship by coaches and players.

Representatives from all 19 of the league’s teams were present Tuesday evening, including Charles Aaron, who is treasurer of the Mount Olive Junior Marauders Football Association and coach of his son’s Pee Wee team.

“This is all about the kids and keeping these kids and families motivated,” said Aaron, 46, of Mount Olive. “The charity supersedes the noise. That they raised $100,000 is amazing and I’m proud to be a part of that.”

Aaron’s son was diagnosed with pediatric follicular lymphoma three years ago when he was 9 and about to begin playing on the town’s clinic football team.

Aaron’s son had a growth on his neck, which he wanted to get checked out before the season began. The family received the diagnosis and Aaron’s son went immediately into surgery.

“The first thing he asked after surgery was ‘can I play football?’” Aaron said.

A month and a half later another growth appeared and his son had a second surgery.

“The bills were piling up, and the MCYFL found out about our situation and asked if they could help out,” Aaron said. “They came in at a really tough time, the right time and helped us get through it.”

Three years since his initial diagnosis, Aaron’s son currently shows no signs of cancer.

“He played right through it. Football provided the motivation he needed,” Aaron said. “I’m happy to show up at this banquet every year and try to give back.”

Staff Writer Michael Izzo: 973-428-6636; mizzo@dailyrecord.com

For more information

MCYFL Charities collects at all football games, and donation can be made to MCYFL Charities at 1250 Sussex Turnpike, P O BOX 88, MT. Freedom, NJ, 07970. Go to http://www.mcyfl-nj.com/wp2014/ to learn more.