Wheatley senior honors fallen friends

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The fundraiser was also supported by the Wildcat Athletic Foundation, which helped Raja conduct the event by designing T-shirts and gathering supplies. He said the help of foundation members Susan Marasco and Bernadette Quinn was essential.

“Without it, I couldn’t have pulled this off,” Raja said.

Rain was predicted to begin at the time the tournament was scheduled, but inclement weather was not going to stop the event.

Instead, the tournament was pushed two hours earlier in the day to evade the weather. Despite the last-minute change, Raja said everyone who signed up for the tournament arrived to support the cause.

“You could really see how much we all cared as a community,” Raja said. “That even though they had to get up a little bit earlier, it didn’t matter because of the cause they were playing for.”

The tournament included about 80 participants, Raja said, with a mix of adults and kids playing in either a beginner or advanced tennis bracket. Additional patrons showed up in support of the players in the tournament.

Tournament players included tennis players from Roslyn, Syosset, East Williston, Port Washington and all over the county, Raja said.

“Everyone who was impacted by Drew and Ethan’s legacy had paid their respects by coming to the event and donating,” Raja said.

Raja also played in the tournament, battling against Hassenbein’s father on the court where his son had beaten him just months prior.

Raja said he opted for a low registration fee of $10 in order to boost participation and still raise money for the teens’ foundations. Tournament players were granted at least two matches and two hours on the court.

T-shirts were sold for $20 each at the event that featured a wildcat and a bulldog, the mascots of The Wheatley School and Roslyn High School, respectively.

Raja said feedback from the event was overwhelmingly positive. He said an added benefit of the fundraiser is that it brought the tennis community together.

“People don’t really see each other in high school tennis except for the high school season,” Raja said. “So [it was] old friend catching up, chat- ting about Drew, talking to me… Everyone letting their feelings out, talking about, laughing, smiling, playing tennis. It was just a really beautiful event.”

While Raja said planning the tournament was stressful at times, the community response of wanting to help made it all worth it. He said a community is better when they act together, and that was exemplified through the tournament.

“The main thing for me as a personal takeaway was how close a community could be if they all put their minds to it,” Raja said.

Raja said there were “smiles all around” the day of the tournament, with lots of joy and laughter when coming together to honor the two teens. He said the tournament was personal to him due to his friendship with Hassenbein and the loss that he and the community have experienced in the wake of his death.

“It’s still a bit fresh in a lot of our hearts and minds, and [the tournament] made it a great way to not make peace with it but at least cope up with it a little bit.”

Raja said he is considering making the tournament an annual event to “make sure none of their legacy gets forgotten.”