Katie Hanson with the Softball Team
Oakdale, NY - The Dowling Softball team had a lot to be proud of this season with one of their greatest accomplishments coming off the field as the 21 members of the team announced they will officially “adopt” a child through the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation.
Started in 2005, Friends of Jaclyn is designed to improve the lives of children with pediatric brain tumors by pairing them up with a local college or high school sports team. After the initial "adoption" the child and their family attends practices, meets the team, and cheers them on at the games all while forming a special bond with the group that adopted them.
In keeping with the department’s strong tradition of community service, Head Coach Deb DeJong jumped at the opportunity to get her team involved with the foundation. “Our team wanted to commit to something extra special this year. We wanted to give back to our community and decided that Friends of Jaclyn would be one of the best ways in which to do so.” Said DeJong.
The team soon found out that their newest member was Katie Hanson, a 3 year old girl from Coram, NY. In the beginning of October 2009, Katie was diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis (NF) when a benign tumor was found on her left optic nerve. She is currently undergoing Chemotherapy to shrink the tumor.
Before their NCAA East regional game against Molloy on May 15th, the team was introduced to Katie and her family for the first time. “Upon meeting Katie, our entire team was taken aback by her strength. We have already gained so much more from this relationship with Katie than we ever thought possible.” Said DeJong.
The team presented Katie and her family with Dowling Softball gear including shirts and hats which they all wore proudly while cheering for the team. “We all feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to have a positive impact on Katie and her family.” Said junior pitcher Jamie Stalter. “Katie was a huge inspiration to us today, and we look forward to getting together with her throughout the summer.”
Dowling Softball continues to send Katie and her family messages and well wishes on her caringbridge.org guestbook, while monitoring Katie’s progress.