Get More Girls in the Game

Team IMPACT pairs kids with serious illness and disability with college teams to build bonds that last far beyond just photo opportunities. We empower kids to find a safe, supportive, and encouraging environment with their college team. 

While Team IMPACT serves all children with serious illness and disability, we want to get more girls in the game.

Why Girls?

  • Girls and women who play sports have higher levels of confidence and self-esteem, and lower levels of depression than those who do not.1
  • 90% of girls and women with disabilities are not active in sport2
  • Girls and women with disabilities face more barriers to participation in sport than men who have disabilities2

 

Featured Stories

What You Can Do

Refer a Girl

Help a child experience the power of sport, the joys of being a kid, and the support of a team.

Join the Team

Ready to join a team? You aren't alone. Apply to get connected to a case manager on our team.

Donate

When you make a donation to Team IMPACT, you are helping children of all abilities get in the game.

Share

Help broaden the Team IMPACT community by spreading awareness to your personal network.

Women and Girls in the Team IMPACT Community

In our 11 year history, Team IMPACT has matched over one thousand girls facing serious illness and disability with teams across the country. These teams are led by thousands of students athletes and touched by hundreds of female coaches and athletic directors. All have had a tremendous impact on our mission and vision, but our work isn’t done. 70% of Team IMPACT referrals are boys, and there are dozens of female teams waiting to find a match family.

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Girls Matched
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Female Student-Athletes
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Female Head Coaches
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Female Athletic Directors
Perspective: Mariela Jácome
For Mariela, a Case Manager at Team IMPACT, sports have always been vital to her self-identity.
Mariela's Story
Perspective: Head Coach Cori Close
UCLA Women's Basketball Head Coach Cori Close tells us what Team IMPACT has meant to her team.
UCLA's Story
Perspective: Erin Higgins
Erin Higgins, a match-up specialist at Team IMPACT, sat down to share her unique perspective as a former student-athlete and collegiate coach.
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Ava's Story

 

The Tennessee Lady Volunteers softball team was recently matched with 8-year-old Ava, forming a quick bond over dance parties in the locker room and high fives on the teamNotes one student-athlete, “She just brings a lot of light to our team.”

Building Future Leaders

 

We believe in providing student-athletes with the necessary skills to make an impact, not only in the lives of the children and families who participate in our program, but also on their college campuses and in their communities. 

Over 30,000 female student-athletes have participated in Team IMPACT over our 11-year history; these teammates are graduating from colleges and universities with new perspectives and a force for change. The skills they acquire while matched with a child and family through Team IMPACT – from self-awareness and empathy to leadership and inclusivity – can positively alter their life forever.

 

1 Source: A Women’s Sports Foundation Report
2 Source: A Women’s Sports Foundation Report, May 2022