In recent years, school sports have become more active in their communities by hosting fundraisers supporting different charities. These initiatives positively impact communities as they promote and lend monetary support to charity organizations that lend aid to causes that benefit society such as support for those who have breast cancer. Given the benefits of fundraising, sports teams should consider hosting and integrating more charity events into their schedules.
Fundraisers benefit athletes beyond the technical aspect, allowing them to strengthen their teamwork and leadership skills. The impacts of sports play an important role in building a sense of community among students as well as lowering barriers between students and the causes of charities.
“It’s good to lend support to important causes and raising money through sports is a great way to accomplish that,” senior and varsity basketball player Alice Wu said.
In hosting fundraisers and charity events, sports teams may draw on support from volunteers and staff for help manning the tables. Through these interactions, teams can foster a stronger connection with local residents and increase their involvement in the community. Sports-based charity events also spread awareness as they inform the school community of important information about these causes in the process.
Besides improving community engagement, fundraisers help promote teamwork among players who need to work together to host charity events. Whether it is brainstorming ways to support the cause, planning the logistics or working together to advertise the event, these fundraisers unite teammates.
On Oct. 11, the Lynbrook girls varsity volleyball team dedicated their game to fundraising for the American Cancer Society. The American Cancer Society is an organization devoted toward combating cancer, mainly through advocacy and research. In consideration of October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the girls volleyball team decided to support ACS’s cause, raising money to donate to their research. . The night of, students and parents who came out to contribute to the fundraiser had the option to donate one dollar to be entered into a raffle for gift baskets. The raffle raised $250 in support of the American Cancer Society.
“The fundraiser brought attention to not only our sport but also the American Cancer Society,” senior and varsity volleyball captain Tanya Wang said. “The athletic senate talked about the organization between games which helped raise awareness about the issue.”
Besides girls volleyball, Lynbrook’s varsity football team has also organized games that support certain causes. On Oct. 17, the team dedicated the evening game toward promoting breast cancer awareness by having all attendees dress in pink. In doing so, the game aimed to improve students’ knowledge about breast cancer and encourage fundraising in support of life-saving research for this cause.
“The breast cancer awareness game helped with team unity as it gave us a stronger purpose to play for,” junior and varsity football captain Naman Maheshwari said.
Some may argue that these fundraisers are time-consuming, and entail meticulous planning of logistics and advertisement, and interfere with players’ intensive practice and game schedules. Nevertheless, these fundraisers incentivize students to become more involved in supporting charities and different causes, while working as a team to host such an event promotes team unity.
Moreover, these charity events are invaluable for communities. By bringing more awareness to important organizations, these fundraisers help foster empathy and solidarity among community members for charitable causes. Connecting a diverse group of students, parents, and adults, these fundraisers strengthen community ties and break down barriers between people.
“We weren’t just playing for ourselves, but for a bigger cause,” Maheshwari said.
