Everyone’s a champ at NECC soccer benefit

SALISBURY, Conn. — As a way to show the North East Community Center (NECC) in Millerton just how meaningful its connection is to their school, students at the nearby Hotchkiss School in Salisbury, Conn., participated in a school-wide soccer tournament on Sunday, April 25, to raise funds to benefit the community center.

Caroline Burchfield, a volunteer coordinator for The Hotchkiss School, said the private school has done a lot of work with NECC over the last several years. Having partnered with it through its After-School, Teen Team and English as a Second Language (ESL) programs, she said Hotchkiss students have built some very close relationships with those at NECC, and feel privileged to have done so.

The idea for the soccer tournament came into play, Burchfield said, because Hotchkiss holds a soccer tournament every year to benefit a local organization. 

Considering how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the school’s ability to collaborate with NECC during the last 15 months, she said, “We wanted to let them know that even though we aren’t together that we’re thinking of them… and the reasons we’re directing the proceeds from the tournament [to them] is we want them to know that we aren’t just here one day and gone the next. Every year, we want them to know that they can count on us for a number of things.”

Kicking off at 2 p.m., the soccer tournament was held on Sprole Field at The Hotchkiss School campus, with 13 teams consisting of five students each. 

As they signed up to play in the tournament, students made small donations to participate, with the students deciding how much they wanted to donate.

Beyond the 65 students who competed on the field, the tournament drew a great many students who volunteered to DJ the event and watched the competition from the sidelines. 

Though the weather was bleak, the students’ spirit was robust as they took to the field. Some even tried dressing up as mascots and gave their teams names. In fact, Burchfield said the tournament went on longer than expected because the students were having such a great time and didn’t want to leave.

Because of COVID-19 safety protocols, Hotchkiss was unable to sell food or beverages at the tournament as it would have in previous years to raise additional funds. Without those sales, Burchfield said they were worried that they weren’t going to make as much money, but as it turned out, the benefit raised twice as much as last year’s tournament did.

“People really do value our work and the opportunity to partner with the North East Community Center,” Burchfield marveled. “The proceeds really exceeded our expectations.”

Calling it a heartwarming effort all around, she went on to share how gratifying it was to have people come to the tournament and ask what they could donate. By event’s end, Burchfield reported that the tournament raised just shy of $1,000, which Hotchkiss will has already sent in a check to NECC.

“I just would stress that Hotchkiss School — the entire students, staff and faculty — really value the opportunity to partner with the North East Community Center,” Burchfield said, “and any opportunity we have to demonstrate that is one we want to take advantage of or create. We can’t wait to be back in person — we hope next fall — doing all sorts of fun projects again.”