The women’s tennis fundraiser will support Martin Richard’s school. (Photo courtesy of the Boston Globe)
(Editor’s note: This article was written by Matt Faulkner)
Led by rookie Lexi Lazares ’16, the Colgate women’s tennis team will be hosting a campus fundraiser Thursday afternoon in honor of Martin Richard, the 8-year-old who died in the Boston Marathon tragedy.
A Milton, Mass., native, Lazares had a special connection with Martin as his tutor and mentor during her senior year of high school when she worked in his second-grade classroom at the Neighborhood House Charter School in Dorchester, Mass.
The mixed-doubles tournament fundraiser is open to everyone in the Hamilton community. The event takes place 4 p.m. Thursday on the J.W. Abrahamson Memorial Courts, or Sanford Field House in case of rain.
All proceeds will go to the school where Lazares and Martin met, which aims to provide a better educational option for low-income Boston families.
Lazares connected with Richard because she helped the children with speech and reading comprehension. “We worked really hard together on sounding out words and sentences,” Lazares said. “We worked a lot one-on-one with group readings and other books that were assigned.”
She even helped Martin with his poster that read, “No more hurting people, peace,” that was distributed throughout the world and was the focus of President Obama’s speech about Martin at a memorial service for victims of the bombing. It was part of a class project about Ghandi’s principle of ahimsa and nonviolent protest.
Lazares said the support for her fundraising efforts has been amazing.
As of Monday, 35 teams had already committed to participating in the event with teams ranging from students and faculty, to athletics staff and community members.
Participation requires a $12 donation from each team. (Contact Lazares at alazares@colgate.edu for details). With an extra $10 donation teams may enter a raffle for four seats to a Boston Red Sox game, provided by a corporate donor that will also be matching all the money raised. Local businesses are also getting involved as Olivieri’s will be donating pizza for the event and Gilligan’s Island of Sherburne is bringing its Raider Passion ice cream.
Lazares feels the sporting event is a fitting tribute for a child with a deep love for sports. “I couldn’t think of a better way to commemorate his love for athletics than to host a fundraiser involving a sporting event,” she said. “I play tennis here at Colgate, so for me I knew that was the best way for me to help and make sure his memory will live on through a sport that I love.”
Spectators are welcome at the tournament and can donate at the event while enjoying tennis, live music, and other games.