WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES APRIL 12, 2018 25
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Local volunteers host fi fth-annual autism fundraiser
BY RYAN KELLEY
RKELLEY@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
TWITTER @R_KELLEY6
A team of local residents that have
volunteered countless hours in
support of autism awareness
are hosting their fi ft h annual fundraiser
in Glendale with the hope of
raising more money than ever.
Organized by Brian Walter and
a group of volunteers he assembled
over the years, the 2018 “Light It Up
With The Blues” benefi t for the charitable
organization Autism Speaks
will take place on Sunday, April 22, at
Yerman’s Irish Pub in Glendale from
1 to 7 p.m. The event will include live
performances from three bands and
raffl es for cash and prizes with all the
proceeds going to Autism Speaks.
The event has grown considerably
over the past fi ve years, but when Walter
met with state Senator Joe Addabbo
on April 2 at his Middle Village offi ce
he seized an opportunity to spread the
word even further, he said.
“We spoke for about 45 minutes
about the benefit, about autism in
general, about how he could help us,”
Walter said. “It was a fantastic opportunity
and he pledged his support.”
Walter also brought the core of his
volunteer team to the meeting: his parents
and his son James, who is autistic.
They call themselves “The James Gang,”
and with the help of other close friends
they have raised more than $30,000 for
Autism Speaks through their benefi ts
and other programs.
Walter met Addabbo a year ago in
Albany when he was attending a union
event and pulled the senator aside to
talk about the benefi t. Addabbo said
he appreciated the eagerness of his
constituent to seek out his help.
“A lot of times our legislative work
comes from people who are facing a situation,”
Addabbo said. “It’s good for me to
hear Brian, who is on the front lines, and
say, ‘How can I help?’ I’m expecting it to be
a relationship that continues.”
The two agreed on the importance
of awareness, and Addabbo said that
he will be able to promote the benefi t
on his social media channels and
give Walter guidance about how to
do more outreach himself. Addabbo
also noted that the newly signed state
budget for 2018-19 includes money for
a statewide training program to help
fi rst responders better interact and
treat people with autism spectrum or
related disorders.
The “Light It Up With The Blues”
benefi t features performances from
the Midnite All-Stars, 3 Sheets to
the Wind & Godfrey Townsend and
Solshyne, as well as music by Party
Sound Entertainment. The top raffle
prizes include a $300 gift certificate
to Great Wolf Lodge, New York Mets
tickets, New York Yankees tickets
and NYC Sunset Cruise tickets.
There will also be close to 20 more
gift certificates to local businesses
raffled off.
Walter said he hopes to raise “a
dollar more than last year,” when the
benefi t brought in $6,700 for Autism
Speaks, which provides services and
events to help autistic children and
their families cope with the everyday
challenges of the disease.
For those who can’t make it to the
benefi t but would like to donate to the
cause, visit “The James Gang” online
at www.jamesgang2018.com.
Photo via Brian Walter on Facebook
Senator Joe Addabbo meets with The James Gang inside his Middle
Village offi ce on April 2.
Glendale gamer going pro in NBA 2K League
BY RYAN KELLEY
RKELLEY@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
TWITTER @R_KELLEY6
“With the 10th pick of the
fi ft h round of the 2018
NBA 2K League Draft,
Bucks Gaming selects KinG PeroXide,
point guard from New York.”
It was a surreal moment when
Glendale native Matthew Hofmann
heard his gamer tag called by Managing
Director Brendan Donahue
on April 4 at the fi rst-ever NBA 2K
Draft in Madison Square Garden.
Hofmann, 21, will now play video
games professionally and compete
in the inaugural season of the NBA
2K League beginning in May.
His reaction to getting draft ed is one
that most people still share when they
talk about professional video gaming.
“It was a dream come true,”
Hofmann told the Ridgewood Times.
“I couldn’t believe I’m going to be
playing games and getting paid. I’m
at a loss for words.”
NBA 2K is the most popular basketball
video game on the market, and the NBA
2K League is a joint venture between
the NBA and Take Two Interactive, the
publishers of the video game. Hofmann
was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks’
gaming team and will be moving to
Milwaukee next week, he said.
According to the NBA 2K League
website, all players will be signed to
a six-month contract with a $32,000
base salary, though the fi rst-round
draft picks get a $35,000 salary. Players
will have opportunities to sign
endorsement deals to earn even more
money, and there are three tournaments
and the league championship
that pay a total of $1 million in prize
money to the teams.
There will be 17 teams that compete
in the inaugural season, all affi liated
with a real NBA franchise. Each team
selected six players in the draft , but
during games the players will each
control their own player on the
screen in fi ve-on-fi ve matchups.
To qualify for the draft , 72,000
players from around the world competed
in a combine to determine their
skill level, and Hofmann was one of
the fi nal 102 chosen to attend.
Hofmann laughed as he refl ected
back on the fi rst time he got an Xbox.
It was Christmas Eve, and it was a
family tradition for the kids to open
one present early, he said. The gift
they chose to open turned out to be
the Xbox controller, but they had to
wait until Christmas Day to use it.
Call of Duty was his fi rst love
when it comes to video games,
Hofmann said, but he started
playing NBA 2K in 2007 and never
looked back. He was always active
and played in several real basketball
leagues growing up, but when an
autoimmune disorder slowed him
down, he played the Xbox more
and more, said his mother, Heather
Hofmann. Until recently, she
couldn’t believe how good her son
actually became at video games.
“He would say he’s pretty good at this,
but we would say, ‘Yeah, yeah, get out of
the house or we’re going to smash the
Xbox,” Heather Hofmann said with a
laugh. “Every parent goes through that
at some point with video games. It’s just
amazing that you can make a career
out of something that was a pastime.”
Although he was announced as a
point guard at the draft , Hofmann
actually prefers playing power forward.
The 17-week season will start
on May 1 and include 14 regular
season games and three tournaments.
The playoff s will begin on Aug. 17 and
last for two weeks, with the league
champions taking home $300,000.
Photo courtesy of Heather Hofmann
Matthew Hofmann (right) stands with NBA 2K League Managing Director
Brendan Donahue at the inaugural NBA 2K League Draft.
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/www.jamesgang2018.com
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