3 on 3 B-Ball To Prevent Measles

At High School North this has been a good year for basketball, with both the boys’ and girls’ varsity teams posting winning records and reaching the playoffs. Jon Malankar, a senior at North, hopes the good fortunes in that sport will continue through this Friday, March 3, when he hosts a benefit for the Red Cross’s Measles Initiative, dedicated to eradicating measles worldwide. The 3 on 3 basketball tournament features eight teams of three competing in a one-night, single elimination tournament. Team members will be North students from all four grades. They will be competing for three NBA jerseys and a Red Cross trophy.##M:[more]##“The idea for this event was actually floating around my head since freshman year when I first pitched the idea,” Malankar says. “When senior year came around I decided that I had developed the connections necessary to get an event like this off the ground and to put together what could possibly become the biggest event of the year for North.”According to the Measles Initiative (www.redcross.org), the disease kills close to 480,”000 children, half of those in Africa. Measles, a vaccine-preventable disease, can be prevented with a vaccine costing less than $1 per child.Malankar was born in Bombay and has lived in West Windsor since first grade. He attended Dutch Neck, Upper Elementary, and Community Middle schools.His father runs the database for the New Jersey State judicial department and his mother does data entry for New Jersey Manufacturers. His older brother, Vaibhav, is a senior at George Washington University.Involved with the Red Cross Club at North all throughout high school, Malankar became an officer in his junior year and is now president. He is also the editor-in-chief for the “The Knightly News,” the school’s newspaper, and editor for “Excalibur,” the yearbook.“Time management has always been a strong point with me,” he says. “I see myself in a business environment using organizational strategies in the future.” He plans to major in business in college but has not yet made his final decision.Planning for the benefit began in November with Malankar meeting with fellow Red Cross officers, advisors at the West Windsor chapter, and Principal Michael Zapicchi. The students plans to meet their goal of $7,”500 with ticket sales, concessions, ads, donations, and raffles. They have raised more than $4,”000 so far.“This is the first event I’ve planned close to this magnitude,” he says. “I tried to play out details and try to foresee mistakes before they happen.”3 on 3 Basketball Tournament, West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North, 90 Grovers Mill Road, Plainsboro, 609-897-0389. Friday, March 3, 6:30 p.m.Pizza, baked good, water, soda, and snacks will be sold at the event. Raffle baskets feature items such as a portable DVD player, food, gift certificates, and tickets to “Oklahoma!”