Arizona Athletics hosted Team IMPACT matches and families last weekend at the March 30th baseball game vs. UCLA. Arizona Athletics has expanded its partnership this school year with Team IMPACT, a national nonprofit that connects college sports teams with children experiencing chronic illnesses or diseases, offering symbiotic relationships focused on socialization, empowerment, and resilience.

Arizona currently has five matched teams: Baseball, Beach Volleyball, Cheer, Football, and Men's and Women's Swimming & Diving. The event came to fruition from Arizona's first Team IMPACT Fellow, Maki Bispham, a senior on the Beach Volleyball, who is an aspiring healthcare administrator. 

As a Team IMPACT Fellow, one of Maki's goals was to plan events that allowed all matched teams, teammates, and families to engage with each other and build community. Teammates and families participated in pre-game activities, including hanging out with their Arizona teammates, playing games, doing craft activities, and throwing out the first pitch before enjoying the game. 

"The shared values of inclusion and community within Team IMPACT and athletics were on full display this weekend," Bispham said. "We had the pleasure of hanging out with matches, their families, and athletes outside of their given sports. Awareness games, such as this one, hold great importance in strengthening and growing the presence of Team IMPACT on our campus. With Team IMPACT, we have the incredible opportunity to be part of a lasting impact by merely upholding our established values and facilitating supporting relationships." 

Arizona Athletics has worked with Team IMPACT since 2015-2016 for a total of 15 matches. Currently the following UA teams have matches:

Beach Volleyball – Ximena 
Baseball – Rylan 
Cheer - Ariyah 
Football - Braxton 
Men's and Women's Swimming & Diving - Elise

About Team Impact
Team IMPACT's unique multiyear program signs children facing serious illness and disability onto college athletic teams across the country. Based on a clinical model, Team IMPACT guides a symbiotic relationship between teams and children focused on socialization, empowerment, and resilience, ensuring everyone involved has the personalized game plan they need to win, effectively building confidence and independence. Founded in 2011, Team IMPACT has matched more than 3,000 children with 750+ colleges and universities in all 50 states, impacting more than 75,000 student-athletes. If you know a child or team who may be interested, please visit www.teamimpact.org. 
 

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