Soccer Players Score for Teen Battling Cancer

While structured events and week-long initiatives have been greatly beneficial to the Lightner family, , there have been grassroots fundraisers flying under the radar, too.

Rolf Denton, a neighbor of the Lightner family and member of the United Soccer League of New Jersey (USLNJ), thought it would be a great idea to see what his teammates could do to help.

Long Valley boasts two soccer teams–the Long Valley Football team and Long Valley United team, both of which play in the same division. The league is designed for men over 30 to compete against each other.

“When the two teams play, there’s a lot of local pride at stake,” Denton said. But this time around, there was more than pride on the line.

Denton asked members of the teams to play the game for Glenn Lightner, and donate to the family’s needs as they .

“We’re a bunch of dads in this league,” Denton said. “We can understand what the situation might feel like. It’s rough. We want to help out in any way we can.”

Turnout at the games usually only includes team members and their families, Denton said, but last Sunday’s game was different, as fans turned out to watch–and donate.

Overall, collected funds came to $1,538 as a result of the game, Denton said, all of which will be donated to the Lightner family.

“It was just great to see,” Denton said. “And when people donated their cash or their checks, they added nice personal messages to the family. The community is really behind this.”

Rally Will Be Robust

The much-anticipated , set to take place Saturday, April 28 at Parish, has officially sold out all of its $50 tickets in advance of the event, according to one of the coordinators, Dorene Rettas.

The event will offer food, drinks, entertainment and a silent auction, with net proceeds being given to the Lightner family.

The cureforglenn.com website shows more than $84,000 has been donated to the family, not including the Rally’s efforts.

On Saturday, May 12, Bob’s Long Valley Pizza, Deli & Bagel will hold a fundraiser of its own, offering slices of pizza in return for a donation that will benefit the Lightner family.

The “Pizza Party” will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. that day.

For more information and background about Glenn Lightner’s journey, visit Long Valley Patch’s topic page here.