On Friday, WWE stars Jacob Fatu and Joe Hendry joined forces with a nonprofit to bring joy to children in an art class, aiming to support young cancer patients through creativity.
The dynamic wrestling duo partnered with Red Door Community to host a caricature workshop for children affected by cancer. Adding excitement to the event, the organization organized a raffle offering two tickets to the Saturday Night’s Main Event at Madison Square Garden, set to begin at 8 p.m.
This collaborative effort was part of the WWE Community Champions initiative, where Fatu and Hendry connected with Red Door. Based in Flatiron, Red Door Community extends support through group sessions, wellness programs, and engaging social activities to benefit individuals of all ages grappling with cancer.
“WWE is deeply committed to charitable work, and these two athletes truly exemplify that spirit,” stated Dan Latore, CEO of Red Door Community, in a conversation with The Post.
Speaking with People prior to the occasion, Hendry emphasized the importance of initiatives like Red Door. “It provides families with a much-needed break from stress, offering them a chance to enjoy creativity and have fun,” he shared.
Red Door Community partners with Theatre Within to provide creative workshops — in the visuals arts, writing and meditation — for members. Former MAD Magazine artist and art director Sam Viviano led the class alongside former MAD editor Joe Raiola.
“We want to do more things like this,” Latore said. “Work with other organizations to do things like this, with different sports leagues. The idea is really to create some excitement around this.
“It’s just so special,” he added.
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. also took part in the workshop. Since taking office in 2020, Richards has been a major part of the investment and development of a new cancer center at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center in partnership with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
At a recent town hall, Richards shared that $180 million has been secured in partnership with Gov. Kathy Hochul to fund the new center.
“It’s fantastic,” Latore said of Richards’s efforts. “Red Door Community has been around for 30 years, and we consider ourselves a New York icon. … We have membership from all five boroughs, our membership is very reflective of the New York City community.”
Perhaps the brightest moment of the day was giving a young boy two tickets to Saturday night’s WWE event at the Garden at the workshop’s conclusion.
“It just reminded me why I do this,” Latore said of the winning moment. “For all the things that are tough in life, you do a thing like this, and it just wipes it all away.”