At Team IMPACT, we see every day what happens when community, care, and connection come together. This Child Life Specialist & Social Worker Month, we’re proud to celebrate the professionals who make that connection possible—the people who ensure that no family needs to navigate their Team IMPACT journey alone.
Team IMPACT Fellow and Temple volleyball player Katie Hickey, who is currently interning with Team IMPACT’s student-athlete development team, has experienced this impact from multiple perspectives: as a student-athlete, a teammate to a Team IMPACT child, a Fellow, an intern, and now as a future social worker.
Katie is in her first year of Team IMPACT’s Fellowship program and also recently completed her fifth year of collegiate volleyball at Temple University, where her team is matched with 10-year-old Lainey. Katie graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology last May and is in school earning her master’s degree in social work.
Katie’s connection to Team IMPACT started with Lainey, who has been a member of the Temple volleyball team even longer than Katie, and the experience quickly became something Katie will carry with her long into her career. It also altered her entire collegiate experience, directly inspiring her decision to become a Team IMPACT Fellow and later apply for an internship at Team IMPACT. “I had heard such great things about Lainey and her family, so when I finally got to meet them, they surpassed everything I had been told,” Katie recalled. “Lainey is such a bright young girl. Becoming her teammate is something that I’ll always look back on and be so grateful for.”
From team celebrations to pool days, match days and just spending time together, Katie says every moment with Lainey has added to an experience she and her teammates will never forget. In addition to Lainey, Katie credits one of those teammates, Taylor Davenport, for being a driving force in motivating her to get more involved with Team IMPACT. “Lainey, as well as my teammate Taylor Davenport, were the main reasons for my interest in Team IMPACT,” Katie said. Taylor, who served as a Team IMPACT Fellow from 2021-2024, helped build the foundation at Temple for Katie to keep building upon. “Although Taylor would always be a huge part of Lainey’s TI experience as well as in her life, once she graduated, I thought it might be a good time to step up and apply,” Katie said.
Since then, Katie has learned so much about Team IMPACT that has just deepened her connection to the program. Katie quickly learned that Team IMPACT is about more than game days or special events—it’s about belonging, purpose, and community. “Since becoming a Fellow, I have learned so much more about what makes Team IMPACT, and I have found a community of like-minded people who care about bringing people together,” she said. “I have found Team IMPACT to be important for student-athletes in many ways since joining. For one, it allows student-athletes to be a part of something bigger than themselves. It allows them the opportunity to work with other student-athletes from around the world. Team IMPACT gives purpose. Many student-athletes find a personal calling through Team IMPACT.”
Katie says she is one of those student-athletes. Her friendship with Lainey and her work as a Fellow further solidified her connection to Team IMPACT’s mission, so when it came time to find an internship, there was one organization at the top of her list.
Katie became a Student-Athlete Development intern at Team IMPACT at the beginning of the semester. Now, through her internship, Katie has had the opportunity to see the behind-the-scenes work that makes those moments possible, including the work of social workers, case managers, and child life specialists who support every match and every family. “This internship has been very helpful in preparing me for my future as an aspiring LSW. Getting to experience the Fellow side as well as the internal side of Team IMPACT is very insightful,” she said. “Not only am I getting professional insight and experiences, but I am also getting genuine support from everyone at Team IMPACT.”
Katie’s experience has reinforced what Child Life Specialists and Social Workers know and live every day: community is important. And Team IMPACT helps build that community for kids, families, and teams all over the country. “Child life and social work are extremely important. As we can see every day, people need people,” Katie said. “Social work acknowledges the struggles of all people and faces them from every angle. This is the basis of the work that happens at Team IMPACT. All youth should have access to community—and at Team IMPACT, they make sure it is available, accessible, and equitable.”
This month, we celebrate the Child Life Specialists and Social Workers who advocate for children, support families, and build the communities that help kids not just cope but thrive. “I will take with me the importance of caring for all little humans,” Katie said. “They are just getting started in life—why not extend them the opportunity to thrive.”
