At 7:00 PM this Saturday, October 15th, Manny Sardinha ’12 and the Princeton Men’s Soccer team will take on two opponents at Roberts Stadium: the Columbia Lions, and Ataxia-Telangiectasia. A-T is a degenerative disease affecting children beginning at age two; proceeds from a fundraiser held during the game will benefit the A-T Children’s Project. Manny recently sat down to discuss the event with the PVC.
Princeton Varsity Club: What inspired you to get involved with raising money and awareness for the A-T Children’s Project?
Manny Sardinha: I don’t want kids to stop living their dreams. The A-T Children’s Project has a website with a video on it that really inspired me to make a difference. After watching the video my sophomore year, I subscribed to their newsletter (subscribe; archive) and got a hold of their fundraising coordinator in attempt to organize a fundraiser. We have been emailing back and forth, but with my soccer schedule, academic demands, and my semester abroad, it became difficult to find the right time to host a fundraiser. I never gave up though. I was determined to do something for the A-T Children’s Project and more importantly for the faces of A-T. I found that the PVC Service Circle grant would allow me to fundraise for any organization even if it is not associated with the school. It all became pretty clear to me as there was not any other organization I could think of that would be more deserving of the PVC Service Circle fundraising and awareness efforts than the A-T Children’s Project. I was extremely grateful after finding out I was chosen to proceed with my fundraiser and honored to be helping out the families and children affected by A-T. Dream on!
PVC: What is your biggest hope that the PVC Service Circle event on 10/15 will accomplish?
MS: Of course, I hope to raise awareness for A-T Children’s Project, as it is an amazing organization that is dedicated to improving the lives of children worldwide and raising research funds to find a cure and improve the lives of all children with ataxia-telangiectasia. Additionally, I hope that my fundraiser will inspire others to find it possible to organize simple fundraisers like mine that can have such a significant impact on children around the world. I believe that as a community, we can accomplish a whole lot and really help out the A-T Children’s Project. As Helen Keller so astutely states, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”
PVC: How would you encourage others to learn more about A-T or to get more involved in the cause?
MS: I deeply encourage others to simply go online at atcp.org to find out more about ataxia-telangiectasia; including information about local fundraisers and research news.
