For many students, families, and staff, April break is a time of rest, relaxation, and recharging in preparation to finish out the final weeks of the school year. For BFA Fairfax student-athletes, however, the most recent spring break week also involved keeping with the Athletic Department’s philosophy of service and giving back to the greater local and global community. The Bullet Varsity Cheerleading and Softball teams took part in meaningful service and fundraising opportunities that supported worthy causes, and forged connections with individuals both near and far.
On Saturday, April 16, the high school cheerleaders, with help from members of numerous other BFA Fairfax athletic teams, positioned themselves around various businesses in the Fairfax community providing education and raising funds toward Type 1 diabetes research. This is the fourth year that the team has taken part in this initiative, called “Madi’s Cheer For a Cure” in honor of students in our community who battle Type 1 diabetes, including their own teammate, Madi I. This annual initiative culminates with the team performing at the yearly JDRF One Walk. This year’s walk with be held at CVU High School on May 22nd, and once again, our cheerleaders will certainly be a crowd favorite!
A bit farther south, the high school softball team attended their spring training experience at the ESPN Wide World of Sports in Orlando, FL. This week-long experience involved scrimmages against teams from other states, forging connections with other high school athletes, and most importantly, taking part in a day of service at the Boys and Girls Club of Central Florida. In this facility serving the needs of PreK-12 students, our softball players provided homework help, facilitated games and activities, assisted with day-to-day operations of the program, and most importantly, demonstrated that regardless of background, life experience, or geographic location, connections and friendships can always be formed. The Boys and Girls Club program was extremely impressed with the maturity, self-sufficiency, and polite nature of our student-athletes, and staff and students alike were sad to see the “Vermont girls” leave at the end of the day.
These are just two examples of the “bigger picture” mentality possessed by our student-athletes, and the BFA Fairfax community as a whole, demonstrating that even in rural Vermont, we are all service-minded global citizens.
The FWSU Story 