Changing Lives Through Sports
Team Impact is a national nonprofit that pairs college sports teams with children with serious disabilities and illness, creating a lifelong relationship that benefits everyone involved. I first got involved with this organization in the summer of 2023 and it was the best decision of my life. The people who I have met have had such a positive impact on life and I was lucky enough to have an internship with the organization this past summer.
I am what is known as a Fellow. What that means is that I represent Team Impact at Wesleyan University, spreading awareness and serving the interests of the organization. Each summer, student-athletes from across the country come together for the annual Fellowship Summit in Boston, MA, where we engage in skill-building activities (informational presentations to small and large groups, event planning with campus-specific action plans, collaboration between other college campuses) and professional development opportunities (networking events). It is extremely special watching student-athletes from all 50 states come together for the common goal of expanding Team Impact’s mission of getting more children involved.
Unfortunately, our Team Impact match, Max, has been in the hospital for the majority of the past year due to cancer, so we were not able to spend much time with him. However, he is now in remission and we are planning an official signing day for him to be an official member of the Wesleyan Football team! Me and a few other members of my team were able to celebrate with him by taking him to Dave & Buster’s, which was so much fun. As one of my initiatives as a Fellow, I was able to lead our campus for the annual All In 5k, raising just short of $2,000—the 9th most out of any campus across the country.
The intersection of sports and meaningful relationships is what Team Impact prides itself on and being able to be such an integral part of this organization’s mission has been the most rewarding experience of my life. It has been amazing to meet staff-members and other student-athletes who make the organization what it is, but nothing is better than seeing these little children be a part of something that they otherwise never would have been able to experience. I love this organization with my entire heart and I cannot wait to see how far it will go in the future.
