When adversity struck Billy Hicks and his family, the managers and staff at Applebees Neighborhood Grill and Bar in Hackensack decided to do whatever they could to ease the burden, and they came through with flying colors.

Hicks, an 8-year-old third grade student in Lincoln School in Dumont, got terrible news when he went to the doctor with what his family thought was strep throat. Upon further examination, it was diagnosed that Billy had contracted Burkitt's Lymphoma, a non-Hodgkins form of cancer. He had a large mass that had wrapped around his vocal cords, so the removal and the subsequent treatment of the tumor was going to be difficult and very painful for him. Gone was his Little League baseball season as well as the upcoming Pee Wee football season, where he is a teammate and friend of Matthew Monteverde, the son of Hackensack Executive General Manager John Monteverde.

Making matters worse was the fact that the family had no medical insurance, many expenses for medicinal treatments that have followed has placed a large financial burden on the family. When John and his staff heard about the situation, they got the ball rolling and set up a charity Car Wash on Sunday, July 22, with all the funds going to the family.

With the help of hosts of parents from the Dumont community, news of the event spread like wildfire. The Twin-Boro News printed mention of it in its community calendar. Kohler Distributing and Allison Scott really stepped up to the plate, making colorful signs that were hung in the restaurant as well as several prime locations in Dumont (Little League hut, Swim Club, Stop and Shop, etc.) as well as a huge banner that was placed on the fence in front of the store. Tickets were printed free of charge by Gerry Tonner, a Dumont parent who owns a printing business, and they were peddled tirelessly at virtually every Summer traveling baseball and softball game by Cheryl Conboy, whose son, Billy, also plays football with Billy Hicks. Cheryl was even peddling tickets at road games as far away as West Nyack, NY, going above and beyond. And several Applebees employees took tickets home with them and sold them to family and friends, which provided additional revenue.

Additional money was raised when Kohler set up a raffle (and printed all the tickets for it) and provided three prizes, a Mariano Rivera autographed baseball, four tickets to Mets/Braves on Aug. 7, and a replica Derek Jeter jersey. Raffle tickets were $2 each, and all 500 of those were sold out as well. A bake sale was also set up with goods sold in the parking lot by several Dumont mothers, bringing more money in.

When the day came, the turnout by the Applebees and Dumont communities was absolutely overwhelming. With the help of Assistant General Manager and Dumont resident Amanda Booth, 15 Applebees employees went above and beyond and volunteered their Sundays for the worthy cause. Anna Redding, Christie Deschenes, Fran Nese, Gabe Martinez, Melissa Arcello, Liz Taylor, Kristy Csigi, Justin Rivera, Jason Carter, Roxy Roldan, Derrick Gagner, Sarah Bright, Angelo Rigopoulos, Deb Kasper and Lisa Wadel all stepped up and helped.

The event was of special significance to Applebees server Lisa Wadel, who is Billy Hick's aunt, as well as John Monteverde, Amanda Booth, Deb Kasper, Sarah Bright and Liz Taylor, who all live in Dumont. Kasper, in fact, did a great deal to help prepare for the event, and her sons, who own a DJ business, set up and played music all day free of charge in the parking lot.

The outpouring of support from the Dumont community was also noteworthy. Parents and most notably children, totaling well over 60, came in waves to help wash cars, and they spent five hours helping out. It was inspiring to see grown men and women standing next to 5-year-old boys and teenage girls scrubbing, rinsing and drying cars. Applebees supplied hamburgers and hot dogs, as well as gatorade and water, free of charge during the event, with none of the expense being taken on by the store. In fact, Applebees put a grand total of $0 into the event, thanks to everybody who volunteered their time and services.

When the dust had cleared and 3 pm came, it was time to see how much we raised. After counting the money and checks, Applebees in Hackensack with the help of numerous people raised a whopping for Billy and his family, an amazing amount for a parking lot Car Wash.

John and his team would like to thank all those who helped out, and would like to say that anybody who would like to make a donation to help the cause can do so by contacting John Monteverde at 201-342-0065 (work) or 201-394-1768 (cell). Checks can be made payable to the William Christopher Hicks foundation. So far the treatments have been successful and the long-term prognosis is good, but there are still several hurdles for Billy and his family to clear, so every possible dollar can help.

Hackensack

THANK YOU!!!!

Much Thanks to Their fine staff for all their efforts and too many other people to name here. You know who you are though!