This past Friday, Feb. 1, Schreiber’s very own Letter Club hosted a movie night for our community. The event raised money for a charitable donation to the Lisa Foundation, which seeks to help those suffering from brain aneurysms.

According to the Brain Aneurysm Foundation, an estimated six million people in the United States suffer from unruptured brain aneurysms. A brain aneurysm can be an exceptionally dangerous blood clot in the brain. In certain cases, people may die or have a stroke from such a disease, but, more often than not, it may result in severe headaches, impaired vision, and facial numbness. Although brain aneurysms are seen more in adults, aneurysms can happen to just about anyone, and their causes remain unknown.

The Letter Club, wanting to help those who struggle with such medical trauma, chose to work with the Lisa Foundation given its great reputation, as it has reportedly saved more lives than any other foundation for those affected by brain aneurysms.

On the day of the event, the Letter Club played the movie “Wonder” in the Schreiber auditorium, which is an inspiring story about a boy who was born with a face deformity and is forced to overcome many obstacles during his life. The club chose this particular movie to attract families all over town because no matter what age, an important lesson can be learned about the stigma involved with revealing your true self, irregardless of what others see.

“The Letter Club is really excited to play a movie for kids that encourages aspects of acceptance and tolerance,” said President of Letter Club senior Julia Ciorciari.  “We can’t wait to raise money and give back to the community! We hope everyone can come down and give back to great organizations.”

Starting at 7 p.m. and ending at 9:30 p.m., the event was open for all to come. A small group of students attended the event with their grandparents, which clearly displays how this event appeals to all kinds of audiences.

The tickets were sold for three dollars each, while homemade snacks were sold to moviegoers.  In addition, a great deal of families donated to the club’s cause as well.

“It was a great night mixed with fun and educational benefits, and we raised just about $300 from the night alone, which was all donated to the Lisa Foundation,” said Secretary of the club junior Kate Shanahan.

The Lisa Foundation takes 95 cents out of every dollar and donates it toward research involving effects, causes, and cures for brain aneurysms.

“There were also 66 donations on Facebook with a total of $516, plus the $280 from previous donations after all the donations were concluded,” said senior Michaela Gearty.  “Overall, the Letter Club orchestrated a very successful and charitable movie night.” 

For any of you who are interested, the Letter Club meets every other Friday morning before school in the gym. This past movie night was just one of the many events in which the club gives back to the community, and contributes to greater issues in the world. The club’s next event will be a sports-themed fundraiser sometime this spring.

“If you want to come on down and show off your pickleball or basketball skills, we would love to see you there,” said freshman Letter Club member Jenny Vancott.

One of the aspects of Letter Club that its members find particularly attractive is its flexibility. If students are worried about schedule conflicts, especially concerning sports at school, the club typically works with students to find other ways that allow them to give back to the community.

“The whole experience never seems like it’s too much. Ms. Castaldo [the head of the club] has been helpful with making sure we stay involved and balancing our sports and academics,” said varsity soccer player and sophomore Shayne Bersin.