Field hockey team inspires good with Walk 4 Haiti
BOSTON, Mass. – The Wheelock College field hockey team, together with the athletic department, organized and sponsored the first Wildcat Walk 4 Haiti 5K, raising close to $1,000 for the American Red Cross: Haiti Relief & Development Fund. In addition, a $1000 worth of gifts, donations, and discounts helped to provide water, Gatorade, snacks, and food for the event as well as a gift of 200 event t-shirts, donated by a family member of the field hockey team.
"The motto for our department this year is I play for you and today our athletes took that to a global field," said Diana Cutaia, Director of Athletics for Wheelock College. "This is not just a motto nor is this just a one time event. The stuggles the people of Haiti will face will be for years to come and we shall do our part to stand alongside them through this recovery. I am so proud of our student athletes today."
As for the amount of money raised in terms of value to Haiti? As shared by our Student-Athlete Advisory Council co-Presidents Julie Kilcoyne (Field Hockey) and Elliott Hernandez (Men's Basketball), "In Haiti, $500 US dollars feeds a family of six for over a full year."
"In the U.S., it is oftentimes challenging to understand the effect of organizing for any cause," said Kyoungho Koh, the Wheelock head field hockey coach. "Still, the heart, mind, and spirit of not just one person, but a team and a community, does as the college has recently defined, 'inspire a world of good.'"
For Coach Koh, it was inspiring to watch what was able to happen in just two months: the idea was born, the framework of the event was researched and created by student-athletes, and a college community mobilized.
"This project was a test in many ways - the test was, does what we do on the field really apply to real life?" said Coach Koh. "Rather than be down by several goals in a game, our challenge was a neighboring country struck by natural disaster. Rather than look to score goals and express a belief in who we are and what we do, our aim was to engage our college community and raise funds to send to Haiti as part of a relief and recovery process."
As part of the kick-off to the walk, President Jackie Jenkins-Scott shared that in the College's commitment to Hurricane Katrina and the recovery efforts that were needed from that natural disaster, it was discovered that relief efforts would be needed not just for a few months, but for up to 10 years. She asked the group of whether a similar commitment could be made for up to five years.
"I think she has her answer," said Coach Koh. "We're already thinking about next year's walk."
Koh also emphasized how humbled she was by the team members' ability to look to their relationships and begin to share that strength with the wider college community.
"I was further moved by the volunteerism of our student-athletes as a volunteer team generously offered their time to staff the event. And still, there was the generosity of the college community and local businesses to find a way to give, support, and assist."
