Three teams used pairs of ice skates, hockey sticks and pucks to try to change the world by raising $14,500 for patients of pediatric cancer.

In the 2014 Winter Classic Hockey Game on Friday, the Medwings, students and alumni of the New Jersey Medical School and Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, competed against the Bitewings, Rutgers School of Dental Medicine students and alumni, to fundraise for charity in the Amerihealth Pavilion at Newarks Prudential Center.

This years charity match raised funds for the Sean Hanna Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 2007 by RWJMS senior Jessie Hanna in honor of his brother, who died of pediatric cancer at the age of 20.

The organizations purpose is to alleviate burdens from patients of childhood cancers by providing financial support and assistance to them and their families. It also offers undergraduate scholarships to patients and their siblings, Hanna said.

Hanna feels a sense of responsibility toward every family who turns to him for assistance, but he said he has never failed anyone.

My brothers life has inspired me to help other children suffering from cancer, encouraging them to live their lives to the fullest and combat the disease until the end, he said.

The Sean Hanna Foundation is exempt from federal income tax. The organization employs volunteers, therefore all the funds directly benefit the patients and their families.

Additionally, the organization supports pediatric oncology research at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, which devotes its time to discovering innovative approaches for the disease and ultimately finding a cure.

As an undergraduate student, Jessie Hanna was president of Sigma Phi Epsilon while also involving himself in various organizations, including sports clubs and church groups.

He engaged in volunteer work in the Middle East through the international health care organization Project HOPE, Health Opportunities for People Everywhere, which provides general medical assistance. Such an experience reinforced his passion for the medical field.

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Medical students play charity hockey game