The sixth annual Night for Nick will be held November 22 from 7-11 p.m. at the Holyoke Boys and Girls Club, 70 Nick Cosmos Way. Tickets are $20 and can be bought at the door or online. This year’s event is casino themed, with casino games, hors d’oeuvres, a cash bar, and a Chinese raffle. Proceeds from the event directly benefit the Holyoke Boys and Girls Club and help open the doors for new experiences for club members.

A lot of Holyokers and others from surrounding cities have heard about “Night for Nick,” but not many know the story behind its origin.

Nicholas Galanes Grass was a Holyoke native, Blessed Sacrament and Holyoke High graduate, as well as a football star and baseball phenom. He was senior captain of both teams in the 2000-2001 school year, and he threw a perfect game his senior year and was much lauded for his performance on the mound. Grass was a Western Mass Athlete of the Week and was named the Western Mass Baseball Player of the Year in 2001.

Not only did Grass excel on the athletic level, but also on the academic level, giving him the opportunity to be accepted early decision to Yale University to play baseball. He received weekly grade reports from teachers while at Holyoke High, showing his true dedication to being the best he could be both on and off the field.

“We were friends since kindergarten,” Ian Guenette recalls. “Nick was the guy that you knew you were going to have a good time with, no matter what was going on. He saw the good in everybody before judging them, he was such a likeable kid that had the highest future ahead of him.”

At Yale, his commitment to a high caliber of performance continued to show. Nick took a full course load to work towards his American studies major despite the demanding Bulldogs baseball schedule. In the summer of 2002, he was named an All-Star in the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League, just another achievement to add to the young star’s list.

Tragedy struck in his sophomore year at Yale. While driving back to Yale with fellow Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity brothers from an event in New York City, the SUV they were riding in struck a tractor-trailer on the highway. Four were killed in the terrible accident, including Nick, who died just two months short of his twentieth birthday. Nearly twelve years have passed since that fateful night in January that took away one of “Holyoke’s best”, as hometown friend Nik Beaudry states.

Nick may be gone but he will never be forgotten by those he inspired and touched with his kindness and dedication. Jenna Kaeppel looks back on driving Nick and his buddies, the “South Paws” to the Holyoke YMCA, saying, “He was definitely one of the good ones. Nick inspired so many to do the best they could, just like he did every day.”

“[Grass’] sister used to babysit me. I remember being only three or four and going down into Nick’s room in the basement. He had this giant freezer filled with Italian ice, and he’d always share. I thought he was so cool,” Holyoke High junior and golfer Alex Glanville remembers.

Childhood friend Ian Guenette reflects, “The world was a better place with Toad in our lives and I can only imagine how much better it would be with him still here.”

Night for Nick was started by Nick’s family and friends to keep his memory alive, as well as to give back to the city Nick loved and called home. He wished for all to reach their full potential; this event helps provide the children of Holyoke the opportunity to be the best they can be, regardless of social or economic status. The benefit is all about supporting one another, which is what Holyokers are all about.

If you cannot make it to the event but would still like to contribute, monetary donations are accepted, as well as goods for themed baskets to be raffled off. For more information, please check the Holyoke Boys and Girls Club website or contact Nicole Lucas by phone at 413-534-7366, extension 125 or by e-mail, nlucas@hbgc.org.