This past fall, the Xaverian varsity soccer and football teams, along with the student council, led the charge to raise more than $6,000 for two local nonprofits, Runway for Recovery and the Ellie Fund, in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

On Oct. 4, the Xaverian community took part in a dress-down day fundraiser to support the Ellie Fund, a Needham-based nonprofit, which provides transportation to medical appointments, childcare, housekeeping, groceries, and nutritious meals delivered free of charge to more than 900 breast cancer patients and family members across Massachusetts each year. Members of the student council worked with the varsity football team to organize a community night before their home game on Oct. 4. Between the players' pink socks and the student section, Xaverian was a sea of pink.

Just a week-and-a-half later, on Oct. 15, Xaverian's soccer team played in the third annual "Play for Pink" game against St. John's Prep, with all donations benefiting the Newburyport-based nonprofit, Runway for Recovery. Team captain, Pano Haseotes '25, has a personal connection to the cause: "My grandmother was diagnosed with breast cancer over five years ago. Fortunately, it was in the early stages, and through treatments and medicine, she is now in remission," he shares. "Participating in this fundraiser was important for our team because breast cancer affects so many people; most of us know someone who has had breast cancer," he says. Xaverian athletes wore specially designed jerseys to mark the occasion.