On Thursday, October 6, Bishop Ahr
High School hosted its annual Ahr Star Spaghetti Dinner. Although the
Ahr Star Program has been in existence for 29 years, it is only since
1997 that the Ahr Star Spaghetti dinner has been held. The Ahr Star for
the 1997 – 98 school year was † Sean Batiste, at that time a senior at
BGA. Sean was diagnosed with leukemia the day of his junior prom. The
student body unanimously nominated Sean as the ’97 – ’98 Ahr Star. They
wanted to do something special for Sean and decided to host a spaghetti
dinner. On the first Thursday of every October, BGA Ahr Star has hosted a
spaghetti dinner.
For the past 29 years, the
Ahr Star program has adopted two children that are chronically or
terminally ill. The Ahr Star Board and school community then spend the
entire year providing support for the families. This year, the Ahr Star
Spaghetti Dinner raised over $11,000 with approximately 900 people in
attendance. “The Ahr Star program is a true representation of the heart
and generosity of the BGA community. It is truly love in action,” said
Sister Cynthia Babyak, Campus Minister and moderator of the Ahr Star
Program.
Earlier this year, the Ahr Star
Committee proudly announced that the Ahr Stars for the 2016 - 2017
school year are Finley O’Neill and Brianna Feeney.
Finley
is almost 1 year old and he has the eighth-documented case of FATCO
Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder. Finley lives in Cranford with his mom
Mary Ellen, his dad Phil, and his 4-year-old brother Liam. His mom Mary
Ellen (Ewing) is a 1996 BGA alumna and his grandmother Mrs. Diane Ewing
was an English teacher at BGA.
Brianna is 7 years old and
has PKS a very rare genetic disorder. Only about 300 people in the world
have ever been diagnosed with PKS. Brianna lives in South Plainfield
with her 13-year-old brother Joseph, 11-year-old sister Bridget, and her
mom Patricia. Her mom Patricia (Trenchak) is a 1991 BGA alumna.
All
of the proceeds from the dinner are given to the Ahr Star’s families to
be used as they would like. At the dinner, Finley and Brianna were also
presented with many gifts, but perhaps their favorite was a soccer ball
autographed by the varsity boy’s and girl’s teams, personally presented
by the team captains.
Finley’s mom said: “It’s
amazing to see a community come together and help us in our most
difficult times.” Brianna’s mom said: “It’s such a blessing to know that
so many people are praying for us and keeping us in their prayers.”
The
Ahr Star program at Bishop Ahr is one of the most popular service
activities for students and faculty. This year, 164 students, and 64
teachers and administrators devoted their time to volunteering at the
dinner. When asked why he wanted to participate in the Ahr Star program,
senior Andrew Weiler said, “It feels amazing to be able to give hope to
families when they are going through a tough time.” Ahr Star
co-chairpersons Kelsey Kacsmar ‘17 and Jude Roche ‘18 both stated that
being able to run this program means the world to them. “I love being a
part of the Ahr Star spaghetti dinner; it’s so great to see how many
students come out to support the families,” said Kelsey. “It was great
to see how the families reacted when they saw how many people helped out
and attended to support them,” added Jude.
Members
of the local community also got involved, with the food being cooked by
volunteers from the Woodbridge Knights of Columbus, who help at the
dinner every year. In addition, past and present members of the BGA
community donated their services to the dinner. The Roche, Penny, Dama,
and Lind families all donated food to the dinner, which is in addition
to the donations made by the student body. In fact, the donations were
so great that the surplus spaghetti was donated to the Trenton Area Soup
Kitchen, where many BGA students volunteer their time.
"Attending
the Spaghetti Dinner is always a great time. Having served as an Ahr
Star Rep, it is not only great to see the current student body being
actively involved in this great program, but also to see former Ahr
Stars and Ahr Star reps at the dinner. Ahr Star is a truly life changing
program not only for the Ahr Stars but for everyone involved," said
former Ahr Star Rep (04 – 05 and 05 – 06) and present BGA faculty member
John Roche ’06.
Donna Hrabar, Bishop Ahr
Guidance Counselor said, “My family has been privileged to have two Ahr
Stars over the years - my goddaughter, Jaclyn Rust in 1999, who has
cerebral palsy and my grandson Tyler Eimont in 2015, who has Dravet
Syndrome.”
In both cases, our family was
overwhelmed with the love, support, prayers, and generosity of the Ahr
Star Program as well as the entire Bishop George Ahr High School
community throughout the school year and beyond! Once a child becomes an
Ahr Star, that child (and family) remains a part of the very special
Ahr Star family forever.
From the spaghetti
dinner to the Ahr Star Mass at Christmas to the Easter Egg hunt - the
Ahr Stars and their families experience the phenomenal attention of the
entire BGA community throughout the year. It is the community that makes
the Ahr Star Program so special and its love, support and prayers that
ease the burden of caring for that chronically or terminally ill child.
The
Ahr Star Program changes hearts. Once you are a part of this family -
be it as a volunteer, a donor, or a member of the Ahr Star's family -
your heart will be changed. What a wonderful and special gift we afford
our students - encouraging them to be a part of something greater than
themselves and sharing this journey with these children and families!
For
the 2016-2017 school year, there are two former Ahr Stars enrolled at
Bishop Ahr – Erik Gonzalez ’17 and Bethany Cicarelli ’20. Bethany ‘20
said, “I was an Ahr Star in 2009 when I was fighting leukemia. The love
and support that I received from the faculty and students at the
spaghetti dinner and throughout my journey were unbelievable. Bishop Ahr
will always be a part of my life and in my heart forever.” Erik ’17,
who was an Ahr Star in 2011, used this quote from Harvey Mackay to sum
up his Ahr Star journey: “None of us got to where we are alone. Whether
the assistance we received was obvious or subtle, acknowledging
someone's help is a big part of understanding the importance of saying
thank you."
Also
in attendance at the dinner was Bishop James Checchio who said, “It’s a
wonderful event that shows the true heart of this community. It’s so
inspiring to see young people as well as adults participating for the
Ahr Star families.”
The Ahr Star committee
would like to thank everyone who volunteered their time, donated, and
helped to make the evening a wonderful experience for all, especially
for Finley, Brianna, and their families.