Elsa Peterson | Staff Writer | epeterson@mail.smcvt.edu
PHOTOS BY CASSIE LATHROPE
Kiera Parker, ’25, helps Katie with her swing at bat.
Kiera Parker, ’25, gives Katie a high five as she completes her home run derby hits.
Since 2012, St. Michael’s College has been a part of Team IMPACT, a national nonprofit that connects children who are between the ages of five and 16 facing life-threatening or chronic illnesses with college athletic teams. On the Team IMPACT website, it said, that through the power of the team, kids and student-athletes accept, motivate, and inspire one another.
As one of over 800 partnered colleges across the country, St. Michael’s College has successfully matched 11 kids with athletic teams since the partnership began. Kids who are matched become team members and form relationships that extend far beyond the sport.
Kiera Parker, ’25, a Team IMPACT Northeast leader, takes pride in the role St. Michael’s College has played in growing these connections.
“My biggest accomplishment being a fellow at St. Mike’s was that I was able to get almost every single team on campus to sign up for a match,” said Parker.
Women’s soccer, women’s softball, and men’s baseball are actively matched with children. For the remaining teams on the waitlist, it’s just a matter of time and finding the right match to ensure that every child can experience the same support and camaraderie.
For 12-year-old Mariella Desjardin, joining the women’s soccer team means much more than attending practices, games, and team dinners. The soccer team actively supports Mariella Desjardin by attending her soccer matches and even accompanying her to doctor appointments. “All the girls mean so much to me and help me through all my hard times and support me in everything I do,” Mariella Desjardin said.
Elani Gikas, ’25, a Team IMPACT fellow, said, “Mariella has 36 older sisters, so it’s really heartwarming, but it’s also special. She’s literally one of our teammates, but she’s 12.”
Since joining the team in September 2023, Mariella Desjardin has even had the opportunity to travel internationally with them this past summer.
“We surprised her when we told her she was coming. We had a piñata and were saying it’s the end of the year meeting, and then she hit the piñata and opened it up. It’s like, you’re going to Spain,” Gikas said.
“My favorite memory was when I got to go to Spain. I got to spend 11 days with the whole team and I got to play soccer and get better at it,” said Mariella Desjardin. “Spending that much time with them helped me get to know them better.”
“Team IMPACT has changed Mariella’s life in so many ways,” said Tonya Desjardin, Mariella Desjardin’s mother. “Her confidence as a young teen has doubled and she is mentally in a better space. It’s been the best thing that has happened for our family”
Jenna Camann, chief of staff and director of special projects at Team IMPACT, said, “Seeing kids like Katie and Mariella and Max, who are all matched at St. Mike’s, they all have such great relationships, and you can see the smiles on their faces, as well as the student-athletes.”
“They have a team of support around them,” said Camann. “They’re not seen as the kid with this condition or this diagnosis or this disability, they’re just seen as that kid.”
“We’re getting just as much benefit as [Mariella] is from it too,” said Gikas. “You come off the field after playing badly or losing, give her high fives, and it puts things into perspective. There are so many things in the world that could be so much worse.”
Parker shared the benefits of having 10-year-old Katie, on the softball team, saying, “It makes it more fun for us. It’s therapeutic because she’s so cute, kind, and energetic…It’s just like having another friend on the team, it’s awesome.”
Surveys conducted by Team IMPACT show that Gikas and Parker aren’t the only student-athletes benefiting from the experience.
“We’re seeing over 75% of student-athletes saying their mental well-being is improving. 87% saying that they feel more resilient, almost 90% saying that they feel more civic-minded,” said Camann
Parker and Gikas participate in outreach efforts to locate children in hospitals around the state interested in becoming a part of the program. The kids are then paired with a case manager who helps individualize the program experience to meet the medical, physical, and emotional needs of each child as stated on the Team IMPACT website.
“You’re not just fist-bumping a kid,” said Camann. “When they experience student-athletes coming to their house, going to a doctor’s appointment with them, or texting them between games, that is proof to them that this is much more than a moment, and it is a true friendship and relationship that often happens for the rest of their lives.”