Southern Lehigh boys and girls soccer teams have both taken time this fall to give back to their community. They each hosted a special charity night to raise money and awareness for local organizations that help people who are ill or live with disabilities. The girls soccer team dedicated their night to the Special Olympics and the boys soccer team hosted Camelot for Children.

The Special Olympics is a movement that provides competitive events for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Athletes can partake in soccer, swimming, volleyball, and other olympic-style sports.

“The best thing [about Special Olympics] is the wide variety of friendships created through all ages and teams,” Lehigh County Special Olympics swim team coach Kristen Bond said.

The Special Olympics Charity night was the first event, held on September 24. Senior Bridget Cerciello spearheaded the night. Cerciello coaches the Special Olympics soccer team, and believed that because the team worked so hard they deserved the opportunity to show their skills. They had the opportunity to do just that during halftime.

“[The students were] really into it and were cheering for the young adults. The next time I met with the team they couldn’t stop talking about how much fun it was,” Cerciello said.

The girls soccer team also raised money by holding a bake sale and by collecting donations at the game.            

When the boys’ night rolled around, Camelot for Children made its debut. Camelot for Children is a social-gathering place for children who are seriously, chronically, and terminally ill, or who live with handicaps or disabilities. Camelot hosts parties throughout the year as well as a seven-week camp in the summer, where the children can work and play alongside volunteers.

“The best thing about Camelot for Children is the family atmosphere,” Kristen Bond said. Bond also serves as the Assistant Director at Camelot for Children.

During the event, some of the children and volunteers walked the Southern Lehigh players onto the field and were introduced during halftime. A raffle was also held to raise money for the organization.

“I think [Camelot] definitely got some more press [because] a lot of people came out,” senior Torin Vanin said. “I think they’re going to get a good amount of money from the raffles. It really just gets [Camelot’s] message out and spreads more awareness since Camelot runs on volunteers.”

Vanin, as well as senior Mitchell McColl, are members of the Junior Board of Directors at Camelot for Children. The game was held on October 6.

Both the Special Olympics and Camelot for Children rely on volunteers and members of the community to keep their programs running. Both organizations invite everyone to get involved.

“Seeing the improvements that the players are making every single day and seeing how much they love playing soccer is really rewarding for me because sometimes I take for granted how lucky I am to be playing soccer with the high school,” Cerciello said about coaching and getting involved. “It reminds me why I started playing soccer and keeps me motivated.”