Meelia’s Dodgeball Tournament has raised funds for schools and faith based groups, and for the last five years, their efforts have rewarded hundreds of children in need. This year’s tournament was originally scheduled for Saturday, April 1, however it has been postponed until Sunday, April 30 due to inclement weather. The first games are set to start a 1 p.m. The tradition will continue at the Carr Center, where Saint Anselm will create a fund supporting the annual tuition of 20 kindergarten and third graders.

This year’s cause is the Institution Sacré Cœur de Jésus in Haiti, which was started by a group of nuns after the earthquake in 2010. Children across the Caribbean island were denied access to basic educational needs, and their plight continues to this day. For a team of 10 people, the price of admission is $100, and ten extra for each additional team member.

Leaders on campus worked tirelessly to plan this event, and Katherine Carey, a Junior from Chelmsford, Mass played an integral role. Alongside Maggie Walker, the service events coordinator, and a group of office assistants, including Becky Rondeau, Katie Hartford, Payton Gullikson, Erin Martin, Madi Jones, and Maq Dimastrantonio, the team worked together to organize.

“The office assistants have done an amazing job of preparing for the event and making sure everything is in place for the day”, Carey said. “Maggie has done a lot of work with figuring out how to get more teams involved in the event.”

Off-campus outreach is also a crucial part of their planning, and they utilized the Manchester community to raise money for the cause. “There is a lot of behind the scenes work that happens, and some of it can be pretty stressful, but the office assistants have done an amazing job in staying on top of their work.”

Deciding on a cause for their annual event is also an essential part of organizing. There are many options to choose from, but ultimately the Institution Sacré Cœur stood out. Katherine made sure to credit the key liaisons between Saint A’s and Haiti.

“We were able to connect with to the school thanks to connections that Sybille Legitime and Dr. Harry Dumay, Vice President for Finance and Chief Financial Officer at the college, have with the Sacré Cœur de Jésus. Legitime visits the school whenever she goes home and is very close with the nuns who run it. Dr. Dumay also visits the school when he can, but remains in contact with the nuns. Both Legitime and Dr. Dumay have been incredibly helpful in assisting us with the planning and execution of this year’s cause.”

Dr. Dumay played a huge role in the success of organizing this event. The goal is to raise between $1,800 and $2,000 dollars, which could provide about 20 scholarships each year, for three years. Katherine hopes to continue their work in the future, telling the Crier, “every three years we will have the cause resurface so that we can replenish the funds needed to continually provide scholarships for students at Sacré Cœur de Jésus each year.”

Our college’s mission statement makes sure that community service is paramount. It’s a “call to serve the common good. As members of a Benedictine educational institution, students learn and strive to embody these core values as they pursue their own educational goals.”

This article was updated on March 31 to reflect the postponement of the tournament due to inclement weather. It will now take place on Sunday, April 30.