The Leadership Team runs their own Walk for Haiti!

Dorchester, MA (February 19th)– It may be vacation week, but 8 Boston area middle schoolers from the America SCORES New England Leadership Team have been busy raising money for Haitian relief by holding their own Walk for Haiti! On Friday, February 19th at the Curtis Hall Community Center in Jamaica Plain, the Leadership Team got off the couch, ran a total of 42.82 miles, and met their fundraising goal of $500. In recognition of the Leadership Teams efforts, America SCORES New England will also donate 50 soccer balls in conjunction with the Haiti Soccer Project to the children of Haiti.

As participants in America SCORES’ combined soccer, creative writing, and community service program, the Leadership Team decided to hold a Walk for Haiti fundraiser in order to take the lessons they have learned on the field, in the classroom, and in the community to the next level. They decided a Walk for Haiti would be a great opportunity to spend their vacation time staying healthy, working together as a team, and actively helping those in need. As Irving student Redouane Laalioui explained after running 198 laps, or 9 miles, at today’s fundraiser, “I wanted to work hard and raise as much money as possible for the people of Haiti. It’s all about them.”

Since the Leadership Team students hail from different Boston Public school across the city—the Edison, Curley, Dearborn, Frederick, Irving, McCormack and Umana middle schools—they were particularly excited that their Walk for Haiti brought them together to work as a team and make a collective impact. As one Frederick student put it: “When you watch the news and see the tragedy in Haiti, you just want to help. We thought, ‘What if that were us and no one helped?’ We’re hoping to bring the schools together and do whatever we can to support Haiti.”