Number of Participants: 60
Hours Donated: 20
Value of Time Served: $10,140
Event Amount Raised: $12,000
Event Type: Health & Medicine
Sport: Girls Soccer
Date: October 13, 2021
Location:
Needham High School
Webster Street, Needham
MA
About:
“The season of giving is upon us. Christmas? Keep those decorations in the attic.
In Needham, it begins late summer. Soccer season.
The NHS girls program is well-known in Boston.
The Rockets get a kick out of a fundraising arm that annually raises tens of thousands of dollars for a variety of causes. This year is no different.
The team isn’t alone in its efforts. Local assistance is crucial.
“Off the field, we have a great community of people,” said Needham senior tri-captain Peyton Walker, “from parents to coaches to players and siblings. We couldn’t really do it without everyone working together.”
Additional relief is warming up in the BullPen.
The benefactor for this season’s efforts is the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, a city that has benefitted greatly from Needham’s hard work away from the pitch.
With help from current head coach Carl Tarabelli, the program started a five-year connection in 2013 with the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk in Boston. The team became the state’s top fundraiser – earning a trip to the city’s Hatch Shell to be honored – raising more than $30,000 each year. The Rockets eclipsed the cumulative $100,000 mark in 2015.
The team has also donated time to Hope Lodge, cooking meals and spending time with terminally ill patients from around the world who came to Boston for treatments.
When a 16-year-old club player of Tarabelli’s lost a battle to cancer in 2018, the Rockets shifted their focus.
“The NHS girls knew her and how important she was to me and they decided to focus on Pediatric Cancer Awareness,” Tarabelli, currently in his 19th season, said in an email.
Needham partnered with Mass. General Hospital, delivering Christmas gifts to children in Boston as part of a “Go 4 Goal” campaign.
The team has shifted benefactors, to Dana Farber, but not its desire to help.
“That’s a huge deal for this team,” said Casey Rolfes, also a current senior captain.
There is more than what you see on the field. There are wins, losses and ties. And giving back.
“There’s a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes,” said senior captain Maddie Ledbury. “The team puts in a lot of work. It’s all very important to us.”
The Rockets are again receiving a primary assist from the Boston BullPen Project in an effort to put money raised into the proper hands.
Boston BullPen was created in 2017 by four men – two from Needham – who were aching to be part of charitable causes. Their main goal is “To provide help to a wide and diverse community of Boston residents, including veterans, families, at-risk youth, homeless, patients, and others,” according to the BullPen website.
The project partners with 55 social service organizations – including Dana Farber, The Jimmy Fund, Pine Street Inn, the Red Sox and Bruins foundations – that have requests for items they aren’t able to cover.
“They come to us in a pinch,” said Steve Alperin, who was born in Needham and played baseball at NHS and Bentley University. Another member of Boston Bullpen, Michael Connolly, was a Bentley teammate of Alperin’s. Lawyer Ben Levin is also part of the BullPen.
Alperin is a retired portfolio manager who is still learning in his latest trip to the plate. Helping Tarabelli’s team is a bonus.
“To have that connection to Needham is really special,” Alperin said. “Carl is a friend of mine. I love what he does, coaching the girls on the field, but also what he’s teaching them off the field. It’s an honor to be part of it.”
The BullPen roster also includes Dr. Alan Stern, who grew up in Needham, where he still lives and practices at Needham Pediatrics.
“Our connection to these 55 partner organizations really helps inform the community around here what’s going on in our backyard,” Stern said. “A lot of people don’t know about these organizations, so if we can help highlight what we do, we can help these organizations do even better.”
Stern calls Needham High’s work within the community “priceless. The younger the team grasps the whole concept of philanthropy, the more apt it is to stay with you throughout your life.”
The Rockets have a fundraising event planned at their Oct. 5 home game at Memorial Park against Weymouth. There will be a raffle and people can donate directly to the Boston BullPen project in the name of Needham High Girls Soccer.
“It’s something we haven’t done before,” Walker said of the event. “Hopefully, people will be motivated to donate.”
Needham’s girls know all about motivation. Whether kicking soccer balls or kicking in their efforts to give back.
“I am certainly proud of their accomplishments over the years with Bay State Conference Titles and State Titles, All-Stars and All Americans,” Tarabelli said, “but more than that I am proud of what they represent off the field.” “
Needham High School Girls Soccer
Fundraising Night–October 5, 2021
In partnership with
Boston Bullpen Project in support Cancer care and research at Dana Farber Cancer Institute
The Needham Girls Soccer program has a long tradition of community involvement and raising funds for various charities. This year the team has chosen to raise funds in honor of all their family and friends who suffer from or have been lost to cancer. Please join the girls in their effort to raise awareness and funds by purchasing a raffle ticket in advance or at Memorial Field on the night of October 5.
Ticket prices:
$5- 1 ticket
$10- 3 tickets
$30- 10 tickets
$50- 20 tickets
Cash or check payable to:
Boston Bullpen Project
Write NHS Soccer in the memo
Prizes Listed Below!!!
#1. New England Patriots Tickets for Sunday, January 2nd at 1pm
Donor: Anonymous
- 4 tickets to the New England Patriots vs. Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, January 2nd at 1pm.
- The value of each ticket is $129 for a total value of $516
- Once the winner is selected, tickets will be transferred via email.
#2. Boston Celtics Tickets for Saturday, October 9 at 7pm
Donor: Barry Coffman and Stacy Madison
- 2 tickets to the Boston Celtics vs. Toronto Raptors on Saturday, October 9 at 7pm
- Loge 12, Row 3, isle seats
- The value of each ticket is $221 for a total value of $442
- Once the winner is selected, tickets will be transferred via email.
#3. Boston Red Sox Tickets for 2022/23 game
Donor: The Chiappinelli Family
- 2 tickets to a regular season game in 2022/23 season
- Pavilion Club 5, seats 5 & 6
- The value of each ticket is $215 for a total value of $430
- Once the winner is selected, tickets will be transferred via email.
#4. New England Revolution Tickets, weekend game this season
Donor: New England Revolution
- 4 club tickets
- The value of each ticket is $95 for a total value of $380
- Once the winner is selected, tickets will be transferred via email REV
#5. A week at Soccer Dynamics in summer of 2022
Donor: Soccer Dynamics
- A week’s tuition at Soccer Dynamics
- The value of this item is $825
- To redeem this item, please email info@soccerdynamics.com
#6. MAP Youth Summer Camp Pass SS emailed 9/25
Donor:
- A pass for one week of summer camp
- The value of this item is $395
- To redeem this item, please contact Dan Brownridge and Lee Popper leepopper@massathlete.com
#7. A month of dining at the restaurants of Needham
Donors: Local Restaurants and Monica Iriti
- Needham House of Pizza $50 gift card
- Servantes $50 gift card
- Café Fresh $50 gift card
- The James $50 gift card
- The Local $50 gift card
- Abbots $30 gift card
- Abbott’s Gift Certificate for a Sundae Survival Kit – Value $25, donated by Abbott’s
- Treat Cupcake–gift ard for 6 cupcakes
- The value of this package is $330
#8. B-Bold Package
Donor: Stacy Madison and B-Bold Bars
- Two cartons of B-Bold Almond Butter Bars
- Two cartons of B-Bold Peanut Butter Bars
- Two MIRR water bottles
- Cozy Sherpa Blanket
- The value of this package is $250
#9. Show your “N”eedham Spirit
Donor: Needham Girls Basketball
- Get a signature N painted on your driveway
- The value of this item is priceless
- To redeem this item, please contact Needham Girls Basketball
#10. Elizabeth Grady in Needham
Donor: Elizabeth Grady, Needham
- $100 gift card for any services
- Signature facial gift card, $90 value
#11. Cookie Monstah
Donor: Cookie Monstah Needham
- Gift card, water bottle, coffee cup, and fresh cookies
- The value of this $75
#12. Indulge Gift Basket
Donor: Indulge Candies, Newton
- Candy gift basket
- The value of this item is $70
#13. Volente Farms
Donor: Volente Farms
- Bottle of local wine
- Fresh fruit, sweets, and snacks
- This item has a $150 value
#14. Shop in Your Favorite Stores
Donor – Proud Mary, Learning Express, Athleta
- Proud Mary $100 Gift Card
- Learning Express Gift, $80 value
- Athleta $50 gift card
- Needham Garden Center $50 gift card
- Pura Vida $50 gift card
- Amazon $50 gift card
- The value of this package is $330
#15. Salon DiCarlo
Donor: Salon DiCarlo
- Salon DiCarlo gift card with product and blow dryer basket
- This item has a $250 value
#16. Gray’s Anatomy Fitness Center in Needham
Donor: Gray’s Anatomy Fitness Center
- a free training session
- 2 free youth class attendances
- a t shirt
- The value of this package is $150
- To redeem this item, please contact Zack at zack@graysanatomyinc.com
#17. ARES Gift Package
Donor: The MacGillvray Family
- ARES cooler backpack
- 2 Yeti coffee mugs
- Cutter and Bock Quarter zip fleece
- The value of this item is $100
#18. Tennis Basket
Donor: Anonymous
- Tennis racquet and balls
- This package is $200 value
#19. Craftsman Cordless Leaf Blower
Donor: Harvey’s Hardware
- Craftsman cordless lithium-ion 40-volt max-leaf blower
- The value of this item is $140
Item Pick Up:
All items can be picked up at Memorial Field on October 5 after halftime of the Varsity game unless otherwise noted in the item description.