Eastchester Eagles Making A Difference

By Patch User Mary Ellen Byrne

The Eastchester Eagles are making an impact...off the field. Claire Teahan, a junior on the Eastchester High School varsity soccer team and a Girl Scout who is working towards earning her Gold Award, has started a program called The Eagle Impact. The objective of the program is to unite the Eastchester High School student athletes and use their impact to bring awareness and support to different causes. The program, whose motto is Learn, Earn, Return challenges student athletes to take the teamwork skills and dedication that they learn from their sport as well as the respect that they earn from their peers and return it in the form of service to their community. This past fall season, under the guidance of Athletic Director, Jason Karol the athletes dedicated their efforts on supporting deployed soldiers. Together, the various teams wrote over 60 letters and collected over 30 lbs of leftover Halloween candy and shipped it out to the soldiers. In addition, at a recent Student Athletic Counsel meeting, the athletes put together 100 care packages with much needed supplies for the soldiers, purchased with money the athletes donated throughout the season. The Eagle Impact will focus on different causes for the upcoming winter and spring sports seasons and is hoping to build upon its initial success.