On November 6th at 8pm at HAFTR Elementary School, the community will come together to remember and celebrate the life of Giovanni Cipriano.

Giovanni suffered a severe allergic reaction after eating a food containing peanuts. Despite all efforts to save Gio, he fell into a coma and passed away a few weeks later. Gio was 14 years old.

Gio was a baseball player and an honor student– described as a beautiful young man with a great sense of humor— who made the world a better place, filling it with smiles and laughter.

The thoughts and the love of the entire community are with Gio’s family.

Please come out to support the Cipriano family at a memorial basketball game being organized by the Inwood Buccaneers with the Hebrew Academy of Five Towns and Rockaway basketball team, the HAFTR Hawks.

Proceeds from the fundraiser will go to Gio’s family to help with medical and other expenses.

Frank DeCicco of the Inwood Buccaneers is organizing the event with the help of a team of volunteers. They hope to raise awareness about food allergies. “An entire community was recently affected by the loss of Gio Cipriano. Not only was Gio taken from his family and friends at the young age of 14 but in a tragic way that affects so many of us today. Allergic reactions are something far too many parents deal with on a daily basis but when one ends so tragically and devastating as this it is not just a wake-up call but frightening. We hope with this event we can educate others about the severity of food allergies.”

Haftr Elementary School is located at 33 Washington Avenue in Lawrence.