What started as a girls soccer team, the Haddonfield Lightning, transformed into a nonprofit called Teams Work for Good Inc, a 501(c)(3) organization where members participate in at least one charitable act on a monthly basis throughout South Jersey.
Once a month, 18 Haddonfield Memorial High School sophomores gather to make a difference in the world and give back to the community. What started as a girls soccer team, the Haddonfield Lightning, transformed into a nonprofit called Teams Work for Good Inc, a 501(c)(3) organization where members participate in at least one charitable act on a monthly basis throughout South Jersey. Their friendship on the field would unite these ladies in inspiring ways off the field.
“We have been together so long … we formed a family of sorts,” member Sofia Presenza said. “We all love to give back to the community.”
Each of the ladies comes up with innovative ideas to help the community or find ways to stay involved with local organizations and assist them. Some of their charitable work includes supporting the Center for Family Services by participating in a gift drive for two teen residential homes last winter and collecting 5,000 books in a Haddonfield Middle School book donation competition the group organized. All books were donated to CHOP, Cooper Hospital and the Ronald McDonald House, according to a member of the board of directors, Susan Bonnet.
During the ladies’ eighth-grade year, the team volunteered to pack hundreds of meals for Feed My Starving Children, which is where the team’s passion for helping others originated.
“One day we started to bond at Feed My Starving Children, and after the experience, we knew we wanted to do more of this,” member Lindsay Vecchiolli said.
Growing up in Haddonfield, the group was eager to give back to others in less fortunate situations, and during this process, members were able to discover how deep their passion for helping others was.
“It was eye-opening in a sense to be able to help people that don’t have as much as us, so I think that’s pretty rewarding,” member Megan Cutter said.
The group continues to participate in monthly charitable events and utilizing its efforts in large as well as small ways.
“Our goal is to try to do something every month,” Vecchiolli said.
Vecchiolli explained something as small as making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the Cathedral Kitchen, for which the group made around 500, can make a monumental impact for those less fortunate.
Although the group is in its infancy, the ladies intend to continue to grow the organization and inspire others to give back to the community.
“They are beautiful young women who are very excited about changing the world and about the bond they have together,” president of the organization, Bob Bonnet, said.
With the group’s next event just around the corner, Teams Work for Good is preparing to give back to the community in an exciting way. Teams Work for Good is hosting a Winterfest fundraiser at the Moorestown Community House the evening of Saturday, Jan. 20.
The Moorestown Community House was chosen because it is a “beautiful venue” that accommodates live entertainment, according to Bonnet. The Haddonfield acapella group Coed will be making an appearance along with the band Mary Hates the Relics and DJ Marty D.
Proceeds will go to the Cystic Fibrosis Organization, The Food Bank of South Jersey and Teams Work for Good Inc. Tickets can be purchased and donations can be made at teamsworkforgood.com.
