{"id":9999,"date":"2026-04-14T00:03:46","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T04:03:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.teamimpact.org\/?p=9999"},"modified":"2026-04-28T00:09:40","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T04:09:40","slug":"15-years-of-impact-culminates-at-the-2026-game-day-gala","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.teamimpact.org\/about\/blog\/15-years-of-impact-culminates-at-the-2026-game-day-gala\/","title":{"rendered":"15 Years of IMPACT Culminates at the 2026 Game Day Gala"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On April 11, more than a thousand members of the Team IMPACT community came together at the Encore Boston Harbor for one unforgettable night at the 2026 Game Day Gala.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was a night to celebrate our impact and not just what we do but who we do it with. The children and families who turn to our program for support on some of their hardest days. They student-athletes and coaches who build that support into a network of hope, belonging, and acceptance. The donors whose generosity builds the foundation for all Team IMPACT does. The supporters who spread the word, advocate on their campuses and in their communities, and cheer us on every step of the way. And the staff whose work every day brings the program to life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because as we celebrate 15 years of Team IMPACT, we know that everyone plays their part.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each year, the Game Day Gala brings together our entire community to celebrate the life-changing relationships at the heart of our mission, the connections built through the program, and the impact that ripples for years to come. This year was particularly special as we celebrate 15 years of Team IMPACT, surrounded by some of our earliest matches, founding board members, staff, supporters, and community who make it all possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Some of the most powerful moments of the night came from the voices of those living the Team IMPACT experience every day. Our event speakers\u2014Boston College Head Football Coach Bill O\u2019Brien; Harvard lacrosse player and Team IMPACT Fellow Grace Taylor; and Stacey Armata, whose son, Massimo, is matched with the UCLA men\u2019s soccer team\u2014shared how the program has profoundly impacted their lives, their families, their teams, and their campuses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat Team IMPACT gave Massi was something no prescription can provide,\u201d Stacey said, \u201cA sense of belonging. A team. A family. An identity that had nothing to do with being sick and everything to do with being part of something bigger than himself. On the days Massi was with the UCLA soccer team, he didn\u2019t think about his treatments. He wasn\u2019t a kid with CF. He was a Bruin.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grace Taylor, a Team IMPACT Fellow who experienced her own cancer journey while playing lacrosse at Harvard, credits her teammates, Tilly and Josephine, with helping her reframe her journey into one of joy and hope. \u201cThese girls didn\u2019t just make us better athletes,\u201d Grace said. \u201cThey made us better teammates. They made us better people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a lesson Grace keeps close to her heart far beyond the lacrosse field. \u201cWhat I carry with me now is simple: We can do hard things. And we don\u2019t have to do them alone.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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