More than a decade after their first 'match' with Team IMPACT, Flagler College athletics teams remain dedicated to transforming the lives of children facing serious illnesses and disabilities.

The non-profit organization Team IMPACT connects seriously ill or disabled children with collegiate athletics teams, reaching 814 campuses and facilitating 3,618 matches nationwide since its founding in 2011. Since the men's soccer team partnered with the non-profit in 2013 to "sign" Dwayne Lewis onto their team, Flagler's athletic teams have been eager to endorse as many new "signings" as possible.

During the 11 years since the soccer team opened the door to Flagler's partnership with Team IMPACT, seven kids have been "signed on" to various teams.

Most recently, Flagler's men's and women's golf teams, coached by Santiago Cavanagh, had an inspiring match with young Raffi Griffiths back in 2022. Raffi and his family moved from Racine, Wisconsin, to St. Augustine three years before he "signed" onto the team. He has severe hemophilia A, a currently uncurable genetic disorder that affects blood clotting due to a lack of factor VIII.
 
"We are blessed to have Raffi officially become a Saint and we are sure the impact we have on him will be just as great as the one he has on all of us," Coach Cavanagh said.
 
This relationship hit home with everyone involved in the Flagler golfing world as well as young Raffi and his family.
 
The mother of Raffi, Deana Griffiths, said how grateful she was for the opportunity for her son to be integrated into the golfing world after he started playing the sport a couple years prior in the First Tee of North Florida initiative.
 
"We are beyond grateful for the thoughtfulness and the opportunity for Raffi to be a part of the Flagler golf teams," Deana Griffiths said. "It makes him feel a sense of pride. There are so many activities that he has to sit out and this makes him feel a part of something greater, which is priceless for all of us."
 
Flagler aims to strengthen its partnership with Team IMPACT to help children like Raffi and their families feel at home in St. Augustine.
 
Kaelyn Figueras, a junior strategic communications and marketing major, and standout player on the Flagler women's lacrosse team, has inspired and supported many in the Flagler community through her extensive work with Team IMPACT. She has become a pioneering influence in connecting the College's athletic teams with children in need.
 
"Our goal is to make a child feel a part of something outside of their diagnosis," Figueras said. "They put more of a smile on our face than we probably ever will on theirs."
 
This past summer, Figueras attended the Team IMPACT Fellowship Summit in Boston. As one of only two D2 Fellows in the South and Southeast regions and one of just 15 D2 fellows at the summit, Figueras gained invaluable insights that she brought back to Flagler. She highlighted the abundance of tailored informational sessions, covering topics from communication to healthcare, ensuring each fellow received the knowledge they sought.
 
"What we learned to take back was more of our goal to do awareness events, medical outreach and campus outreach," Figueras said. "They're setting us up for success."
 
 
Figueras hopes her work with Team IMPACT will inspire those around her to grow as individuals both on and off the field. She emphasized the profound impact of integrating children into athletic teams and expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to positively transform the lives of both the children and their families.

"Families feel so grateful that we're just playing with her once a week," she said. "It means the world to me because it makes me feel not only like an athlete but also a human being."

After her successful trip to Boston, Figueras facilitated Flagler's first-time partnership with Horseplay Equine Therapy, a non-profit organization center where children with disabilities enjoy visits with their families and friends. Her goal was to engage with the children and families, explaining how Team IMPACT could positively influence their lives.
 
"I was able to contact the families directly and let them know what we do," Figueras said. "We got quite a few applicants doing that. And we currently have two pending from that event."
 
Kaelyn emphasized the importance of getting involved with the organization. She hopes to inspire more student-athletes to join the fellowship program and make a difference.
 
"We've had lots of women's soccer matches; basketball matches and golf days," she said. "Currently we have lacrosse, baseball and softball, and I know cheerleading is supposed to get one too."
 
Figueras aims to ensure that Flagler and other Division II schools can still make a significant impact within the Team IMPACT community despite having fewer resources.
 
"My goal was to kind of do more outreach within Division II to make it grow," Figueras said. "The matched kids are getting the same exact experience at a Division I college as someone who is going to a private liberal arts Division II school."

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