On December 12th, the Brandeis University men's basketball team officially drafted 11-year-old Jack Dollar of Newton, Massachusetts, to be a part of the Judges' team, thanks to a partnership with Team IMPACT. Jack is currently living with epilepsy. He is currently a student at the Campus School at Boston College.
Brandeis men's basketball marks the eighth program at Brandeis to have partnered with Team IMPACT over the past decade. Currently, Brandeis men's and women's soccer, softball and volleyball have also made matches with local children who face life-threatening diseases, while baseball and men's and women's swimming and diving have partnered with the organization in the past.
"It's an exciting time to be a Judge today," said Brandeis Director of Athletics Lauren Haynie. "I've been here a little more than three months, and this is by far the most special part of being here. Jack is part of our family now."
"Thank you Team IMPACT for making this day possible," said assistant coach LJ Harrington, who was instrumental in signing Jack to the team. "Without your support, network, and resources, none of us would be here today.
"[Jack] will help us think of others before ourselves, help us think of how fortunate we are to attend Brandeis and represent its basketball team, help us become better teammates, inspire us not to make excuses when things go south. [Jack] will make us better immediately."
Team IMPACT is a national nonprofit headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, that connects children facing serious or chronic illnesses with college athletic teams, forming life-long bonds and life-changing outcomes. Since 2011, Team IMPACT has matched nearly 1,900 children with more than 500 colleges and universities in 48 states, reaching over 55,000 participating student-athletes. The child joins the athletic team and the student-athletes join the child's support team. Throughout the journey, the child gains strength, camaraderie and support while the student-athletes experience lessons of courage, resiliency and perspective they can't learn in a classroom.
Team IMPACT Signing
