John Aidala has volunteered at the Amy Tisa Memorial Basketball Game as its scorekeeper since it started in 2008. He never thought he and his family would one day be selected to receive funds from it.
“I’ve seen other people over the years go up at halftime and speak to the crowd,” said Aidala, who was on the sidelines again at this year’s game March 7 at Colonie Central High School. “I never envisioned in a hundred years I’d be grabbing the microphone.”
Shara Barcomb never heard of the South Colonie Central School District’s annual charity basketball game between Veeder and Shaker Road elementary schools until her family was chosen to be the other recipient of this year’s proceeds.
“This is our first year at Veeder,” said Barcomb, a 25-year-old single mother of twin girls. “Both of my girls just entered kindergarten this year.”
The common thread Barcomb and Aidala share is cancer. Aidala lost his wife last year to the disease, while Barcomb is battling it.
“It’s just very surreal,” said Aidala. “I’m at 10 months since I lost my wife. If the game was held in March last year as it normally has been, she would have been here helping out. But because they had to push the game back a couple of months, she died before the game happened.”
While Aidala spoke to the crowd, Barcomb – who was visibly in pain from the surgery that removed her breast cancer – had her mother speak for her.
“It’s been rough,” said Barcomb. “I went through the double mastectomy … and gone through some reconstructive surgery. I just take it one day at a time.”
The Amy Tisa Memorial Basketball Game was named after a Veeder teacher who died from a brain aneurysm several years ago. Event co-organizer Erica Doran said after the initial game benefited Tisa’s family, it was decided the event would continue to benefit any family at the school that suffered a tragedy. Originally one family from Veeder was selected to receive the proceeds, but when the format changed from a game against the Colonie Police department to a game against Shaker Road staff, a family from Shaker Road was chosen to share in the proceeds.
Doran said there were no family tragedies in the Shaker Road Elementary community over the past 12 months, so they donated their portion of the proceeds to Veeder, which allowed that school to select the Aidala and Barcomb/Perez families.
“Both of the families are from Veeder, which is unusual because we usually select one family from each school,” said Doran.
The game pitted teachers from the two schools against each other in a four-quarter, 40-minute basketball contest. The skill levels ranged from beginner to expert, with former Colonie Central High School and Saint Rose basketball player Steve Doran leading the Shaker Road squad. Doran was the star, as he hit several three pointers and added a third quarter dunk to help Shaker Road beat Veeder Road 40-37.
There was more to the event than the game, though. Students participated in a silent auction for prizes ranging from pizza lunches with their teachers to a week-long trip to Antigua. Students also attended pep rallies at their respective schools earlier in the day.
“The kids are so excited,” said Doran. “They wear their school colors the whole day, and they love cheering on their teachers.”
The real winners were the Aidala and Barcomb/Perez families. They each received half of the proceeds, which Erica Doran said she was hoping would equal last year’s total of approximately $4,500.
Aidala said he plans on using some of the money raised to add to a fund set aside to build a memorial pavilion for his wife behind Veeder.
“Anything I get from this, I’m kicking back for the pavilion out back of the school and for landscaping,” said Aidala. “And any money I can give to that other family, I will. That’s an unbelievable hardship they’re going through.”
Barcomb said the support she and her family have received already has been overwhelming.
“Honestly, I didn’t expect anything,” said Barcomb. “The Veeder staff has been very supportive. I feel very blessed that they chose to honor me.”