TIFFIN UNIVERSITY, TIFFIN, OH—Last year, student athletes from Tiffin and Findlay decided to become “Wish Granters” for a young girl named Addison who had been diagnosed with a disease called soft tissue sarcoma. Addison’s wish was to go to Nickelodeon Water Park so that she can swim with the dolphins, while enjoying the warm Florida sun. Both teams had t-shirts made with the message #addisonswish to generate donations for her wish.
In addition to Make A Wish, which is coordinated by the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, Tiffin University athletic teams have joined forces with Team IMPACT. Team IMPACT is a non-profit organization chartered to improve the quality of life for children facing life-threatening and chronic illnesses by establishing and expanding athletic team-based support networks. In doing so, the team joins the child’s support team, supporting the child in his or her medical journey and beyond.
When a Team Impact Child is drafted onto a Tiffin University athletic team, he/she will, to the greatest extent possible, become an official DRAGON for the duration of their treatment and beyond.
“Getting involved with Team IMPACT is important for me as well as the team because it allows us to connect with the community on a personal level. Kids in the area are suffering from illness that is life changing/threatening, while we are living our dreams of being college athletes. It shows that life is much more than just a game and really makes us realize how fortunate we are,”said Joe Graessle, Men’s Basketball Senior Captain.
If someone close to you would like to participate in this program please visit http://www.goteamimpact.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=12&Itemid=19
Questions regarding Tiffin University Athletics and Team IMPACT, contact campus liaisons Stephanie Smith, 419.448.3263 (SmithSC@tiffin.edu) or Vickie Galaska, 419.448.3595 (GalaskaVM@tiffin.edu).