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.
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.
Because as we celebrate 15 years of Team IMPACT, we know that everyone plays their part.
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.
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—Boston College Head Football Coach Bill O’Brien; Harvard lacrosse player and Team IMPACT Fellow Grace Taylor; and Stacey Armata, whose son, Massimo, is matched with the UCLA men’s soccer team—shared how the program has profoundly impacted their lives, their families, their teams, and their campuses.
“What Team IMPACT gave Massi was something no prescription can provide,” Stacey said, “A 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’t think about his treatments. He wasn’t a kid with CF. He was a Bruin.”
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. “These girls didn’t just make us better athletes,” Grace said. “They made us better teammates. They made us better people.”
This is a lesson Grace keeps close to her heart far beyond the lacrosse field. “What I carry with me now is simple: We can do hard things. And we don’t have to do them alone.”
That gratitude, rooted in resilience, community, and connection, is what defines Team IMPACT. That is what Northwestern Athletic Director Mark Jackson hopes his student-athletes feel each time they welcome a Team IMPACT teammate onto their roster. That is what NCAA President and longtime Team IMPACT supporter Charlie Baker hopes all student-athletes take with them long after their playing careers end. And that is what we dream every child living with a serious illness and disability feels when they participate in Team IMPACT.
For Stacey, Team IMPACT is something she and her family feel every day, even after Massimo’s transition to a Team IMPACT alum. “The best part of this whole story? The match didn’t end,” she said. “Those guys feel like family. And I think that’s the beauty of Team IMPACT—the ability to translate the power of human connection into something a ten-year-old boy can feel for years to come.”
The Game Day Gala is more than an event. It’s a reflection of what happens when compassion and care meet teamwork and impact. Each year, the Game Day Gala is not only a celebration but a reminder that there is still work to do. More kids to match. More student-athletes to inspire. More friendships to foster. More lives to change. More Game Day Galas to celebrate.
And with you on our team, we will accomplish each milestone the only way we know how: together.
Because we can do hard things. And we don’t have to do them alone.
