Members of a New Bern High School service club are collecting formalwear for less fortunate students and helping sell tickets for a “Harlem-style” basketball
game that will benefit nonprofit organizations, in addition to participating in many other projects this spring. “A lot of people in our town don’t go to prom because they can’t afford the dresses, the tuxedoes and everything with them,” Wheeler said. “The age of what you give doesn’t matter. People may think things go out of style, but we can redo things to make them work for now.” The club is still looking for businesses and people who will donate equipment to display donations and a place to hold the event. For more information about the event, people can call Wheeler at 675-7728 or Deirdre Kiernan, the club advisor, at 229-0918. Clothing donations should be taken to the high school. In the high school gym March 11, some of Interact’s 150 members will help the New Bern Breakfast Rotary Club present a basketball game to benefit nonprofit organizations. The Harlem Ambassadors, a team formed in 1998 to provide basketball entertainment and help organizations raise money, will perform at 6:30 p.m. The Interact Club will raffle a basketball signed by the team’s members. Pizza, sandwiches, drinks and popcorn will be sold, said Craig Keenhold, president of the Beakfast Rotary Cub. “It’s very much basketball like the Harlem Globetrotters,” Keenhold said. “The difference between what these guys do and the Globetrotters is that they hook up with the local nonprofits to help raise money through their performance. It’s going to be fun and a totally different event for New Bern. The performance is very much about fan participation.” Advance tickets are $5 for students and $7 for adults, and they can be bought at the River Bend Country Club or Kellum Law Firm. Tickets at the door will be $7 for students and $9 for adults. The Interact Club will also collect canned food to donate to Religious Community Services.
“That Interact Club is doing such great work, especially this year,” Keenhold said. “It’s a great group of kids.”