Matthew Schaefer, the New York Islanders and Northwell Health announced a new relationship on Tuesday aimed at helping cancer patients and their families find moments of joy during treatment. The Islanders Children’s Foundation is donating $150,000 toward the Jennifer Schaefer Child Support Center, which is scheduled to open in October at the R.J. Zuckerberg Cancer Center in New Hyde Park.
The center will give children a dedicated room to spend time while a parent undergoes cancer treatment. It will include Islanders memorabilia, air hockey, gaming consoles, bubble hockey, a scoreboard with customized greetings and messages from Schaefer, along with a counselor and a private space for grief counseling.
The project carries a personal weight for Schaefer, who lost his mother to breast cancer in 2024. The 18-year-old defenseman, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft and a Calder Memorial Trophy nominee at 18, said he sat by his mother while she was battling cancer and remembered how she kept smiling through it. He said he hoped the partnership would bring a little of that joy to others fighting cancer and to their families.
The center is named for Jennifer Schaefer, and the Islanders said the effort is intended to honor her memory while giving families a place of comfort, play and support. Jon Ledecky said the team sees itself as a community trust and that the foundation was proud to back an initiative that connects Matthew Schaefer’s personal story with the club’s work around family and healing.
Northwell said the room is designed for children whose parent is undergoing cancer treatment, reflecting the strain a diagnosis places on the whole family. John D’Angelo said cancer can challenge families in many ways and that caring for families is as important as caring for patients. He said the health system was grateful for the Islanders’ support and proud to team up with Schaefer, who will visit the room at various times throughout the year.
The opening in October gives the project a clear near-term milestone, but the larger aim is more lasting: to make sure children walking into a cancer center do not have to face those hours alone.
