On Sunday, Oct. 23, at 2 p.m., the Harlem Wizards all-star comedy basketball team takes to the court at The Morgan School gym against a group of unlikely opponents: 15 Clinton community members ranging from teachers, school administrators, and police officers to Morgan staff and seniors.

The game is the official tipoff—and most significant fundraiser—for Clinton’s Project Graduation.

“This is the first and biggest Project Grad event of the year,” said Lisa Harden, who co-chairs the event with fellow parents Kathy Suraci and Kim White. “We’re hoping to raise over $7,000 to pay for graduation night festivities.”

Project Grad, White explained, offers an evening of safe, drug- and alcohol-free activities for students on graduation night.

“This event is the last time the class gets to celebrate its success all together,” she said.

An adult-supervised all-nighter, the party provides graduating seniors with games and other recreational activities, food, beverages, music, raffle prizes, and swag bags.

“Our graduates are picked up by bus; brought to an undisclosed location for a night of fun, safe events; and brought home in the morning,” says Harden.

School districts around the country that have implemented programs like Project Grad have reported measurable declines in drug- and alcohol-related youth injuries and fatalities on graduation night.

A Brief History

In 1979 in Maine, during the high school commencement period spanning May 15 to June 30, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that 7 of the 12 drunk driving deaths involving teenagers occurred in the area of Oxford Hills. In response to this loss of life, an Oxford Hills school–community coalition instituted a drug-free graduation celebration—Project Graduation—during the 1979-1980 school year.

That year, no fatalities or alcohol- or drug-related injuries or arrests were reported, and over the next five years, the number of Maine high schools participating in Project Graduation increased from 1 to 129. According to a CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report published in 1985, analysis of teen fatalities in Maine school districts where Project Grad was in place compared with fatalities in non-participating districts “revealed a significant difference.”

Connecticut schools began adopting began Project Graduation activities in 1986.

Win-Win

The Oct. 23 Project Grad fundraiser at Morgan pits the star-studded Harlem Wizards against school faculty and local notables, combining top basketball talent with high-energy comedy, audience interaction, and a chance to root for the home team.

“It’s two hours of family time where parents, grandparents, and kids can all laugh together,” says Wizards spokesperson Kathi Russ. “When you’re in the stands, you’re more than a spectator; you’re part of the show, with loads of audience participation. Throughout the game, fans will experience a magical display of tricks, coordinated ball handling, fancy passing, and aerodynamic athleticism.”

Now in their 55th year, the Wizards have toured nearly all 50 states as well as China, Italy, Belgium, Taiwan, Israel, Malaysia, Brazil, Argentina, Jordan, Poland, and Venezuela. Crowds numbering from a couple hundred to 10,000 have gathered in soccer stadiums, bullrings, basketball arenas, and school gyms around the world to watch them play. In their travels, the Wizards have also teamed up with high-profile athletes and celebrities, including Joe DiMaggio, John Havlicek, Kobe Bryant, Donn Clendenon, Nancy Lieberman, Lawrence Taylor, Marques Haynes. Phylicia Rashaad, Luke Perry, and Tony Randall.

Last season, the Wizards played 450 events in front of 350,000 fans across the U.S., raising more than $2.5 million. Though their primary focus is fundraising for nonprofits and school organizations, a key part of their mission is boosting morale and community spirit. Some of the most memorable games in the team’s history were played in Newtown, Connecticut; in Attica, against the prison’s inmates, following the infamous 1977 riot (the Wizards received a standing ovation); and after the 2015 Baltimore riots.

General admission tickets to the Oct. 23 game at The Morgan School are $12 for students and $15 for adults. They’re available at Steward’s Ace Hardware, Clinton Sports Shop, and Town Pride sporting goods store. (Town Pride is donating Hometown Huskies jerseys, and those interested in sponsoring can have their names printed on the back.) A limited number of reserved and courtside seats are also available.

Students in grade four and younger must be accompanied by an adult.