Winners of JCC Bocce Tournament announced

The Joan & Alan Bernikow JCC of Staten Island hosted its inaugural bocce tournament on Monday, September 13. After a full-day tournament with over 70 players, the winners were Sean Murray, Gerard Carbonella, Benjamin Carbonella, and Robert Snyder.
 
All proceeds from the tournament benefitted the Lucille & Jay Chazanoff Sunrise Day Camp-Staten Island and the JCC’s Kosher Food Pantry. The event honored Mannix Family ShopRites for their dedication to both causes.
 
The Lucille & Jay Chazanoff Sunrise Day Camp-Staten Island, run by the JCC, is a free summer camp for children with cancer and their siblings. Recognizing the extraordinary financial demands that a child’s chronic illness can have on a family, Sunrise Day Camp is provided completely free of charge to campers’ families. Sunrise Day Camp-Staten Island proudly serves children with cancer and their siblings from Staten Island, Manhattan, Brooklyn, and nearby New Jersey on a non-sectarian basis.
 
The JCC’s Kosher Food Pantry serves thousands of Staten Islanders facing food insecurity. Through confidential, one-on-one appointments with caring staff, individuals and families in need from all walks of life can access a reliable source of healthy nutrition.
 
As we continue to navigate these challenging times, financial support for both causes has become more necessary than ever. With so many Staten Islanders facing hardships like illness and loss of income, the need for the food pantry has quintupled since the start of the pandemic.
 
Sunrise Day Camp, which resumed in-person camping this summer, brings back the joys of childhood to children with cancer. The pandemic has shown us all a fraction of the loneliness and isolation these children experience due to their illness, reminding us how important Sunrise is to campers and their families.
 
The JCC relies on the generosity of supporters like Mannix Family ShopRites to sustain these vital services. Mannix Family ShopRites, owned and operated by Kevin and Timothy Mannix, include three store locations on Staten Island. The stores regularly donate food and funds to JCC causes, along with hosting fundraisers for the agency.
 
Orit Lender, CEO of the JCC said, “This was a terrific first Bocce event for the JCC. I’d like to thank our chairs, Solomon Chemo, Cory Schifter, and Bob Cutrona, for their hard work putting this event together. I also want to congratulate our honoree today, Mannix Family Shoprites. They have been a fantastic community partner to us and other community organizations, and we appreciate their continuous support for our programs.”
 
The event was co-chaired by Solomon Chemo, Cory Schifter, and Bob Cutrona.