Staples Senior Hosts Soccer Fundraiser to Benefit TOPSoccer
Bruno Guiduli has been raising money for TOPSoccer, a nonprofit that helps those with disabilities get involved in the sport, through both online videos and an in-person fundraising event on July 17.
Words by Lily Kane, Images from Guiduli’s Go-Fund-Me and Facebook Page.
Throughout the past year and a half of local and global struggle, Rising Staples senior Bruno Guiduli saw a way that he could make the world just a little bit better. He channeled his love for soccer and care for his fellow players into a way to raise money for TOPSoccer, a “501(c)3 nonprofit organization that provides the opportunity for children and adolescents with disabilities to play the beautiful game in a supportive and inclusive environment,” as described by the fundraiser’s Facebook page. To pass time and raise money during the pandemic, Guiduli and his father built a soccer goal to shoot into, record each goal, and post them to the Facebook page to drive traffic to his go-fund-me. The opening of the goal he created is in the word “TOP,” where the letter “O” is cut out and is only 18” in diameter. So far, Guiduli has raised over $2,300 of his $2,500 goal.
This coming weekend, Guiduli is turning his fundraising work into something all players can take part in, getting the community together for a ‘Goal-A-Thon.’ On Saturday, July 17, both players and non-players, children and adults, can try to shoot goals into the specially designed goal. Guiduli has years of soccer experience, currently playing for both the Staples Soccer team and the Beachside Premier Soccer Club, and is a certified soccer referee. As the student shared on the Facebook page, “For me, soccer has been a source of competition, challenge, and discipline. Soccer has taught me the value of teamwork and reaching a goal (no pun intended) so I want to help kids of differing abilities reach their goals and experience a similar love for the game as I do every day.”
Saturday’s fundraiser will take place from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm, with a rain date of the same hours on Sunday, July 18.
