WEST CHESTER, Pa.- West Chester University women's soccer head coach
Betty Ann Kempf Townsley, along with Team IMPACT, announced the signing of nine-year-old Amelia Nelson of Parkesburg, Pennsylvania, as the newest member of the Golden Rams on Thursday afternoon in the Sturzebecker Health Science Center.
"Amelia brings a ton of energy to our team, and we are thrilled to have her with us," began head coach
Betty Ann Kempf Townsley. "The girls love having her around, and she loves the girls. They are great role models for her, and she is just as good for them. Amelia organizes games for them to play and gives them the chance to laugh and have a great time, which isn't always easy as a collegiate student-athlete."
Amelia is one of the nearly 40,000 patients in the United States living courageously with Cystic Fibrosis, a disease predominantly diagnosed in children by the age of two.
Team IMAPCT is a national nonprofit organization headquartered in Boston that connects children facing serious and chronic illness with local college athletic teams, forming lifelong bonds and life-changing outcomes.
When asked about the impact of an organization like Team IMPACT on a collegiate team, Kempf Townsley said, "It's big. It is a great way to get some quality life learning experiences and gives us a chance to step back and see what is truly important in life."
Amelia began her time with the Golden Rams during the spring season, routinely spending time with the group both on and off the field.
The Golden Rams women's soccer team is the most recent Golden Rams team to partner with Team IMPACT, joining West Chester men's soccer, women's gymnastics, volleyball, softball, swimming and diving, and track and field as teams that have partnered in recent years.
