George Washington University Athletics
Volleyball Welcomes 8-Year-Old Gianna to Program
9/10/2020 11:19:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
GW partners with Team IMPACT for newest signee
WASHINGTON -Â GW volleyball has signed 8-year-old Gianna to a Letter of Intent, becoming an official teammate of the program recently through a Draft Day ceremony.
Gianna and the volleyball program were brought together by Boston-headquartered national nonprofit Team IMPACT, whose mission is to improve the quality of life for children facing serious and chronic illnesses through the power of team.
A resident of Northern Virginia, Gianna is valiantly battling Juvenile Dermatomyositis, an inflammatory disease of the muscle, skin and blood vessels. She has joined forces with the volleyball program virtually during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, bringing her trademark positive spirit.
"Having Gianna join our team has brought such a positive light to us during these uncertain times,"Â said junior Lauren LaBeck. "She is an amazing, funny and smart little girl who puts a smile on everyone's face. The team and I can't wait to meet her in person when the time is right!"
As part of the partnership, Gianna will continue to attend team meetings and events. Ultimately, she will be able to attend GW contests when the volleyball program returns to the court.
"One would think that it'd be difficult forming a relationship with a child via Zoom calls, but Gigi has been a doll," said junior Paz Dozie-Nnamah. "She is so intelligent with such a bubbly personality. You can tell she has a genuine passion for taking care of others, especially animals, which is impressive to see at her age. She's one-of-a-kind and I can't wait to get closer to her and learn more from her."
ABOUT Team IMPACT: Team IMPACT is a national nonprofit headquartered in Boston that connects children facing serious or chronic illnesses with college athletic teams, forming lifelong bonds and life-changing outcomes. Since 2011, Team IMPACT has matched more than 1,900 children with more than 600 colleges and universities in 48 states, reaching over 55,000 participating student-athletes. The child joins the athletic team and the student-athletes join the child's support team. Throughout the journey, the child gains strength, camaraderie and support while the student-athletes experience lessons of courage, resiliency and perspective they can't learn in a classroom. For more information, visit www.goteamimpact.org.
Gianna and the volleyball program were brought together by Boston-headquartered national nonprofit Team IMPACT, whose mission is to improve the quality of life for children facing serious and chronic illnesses through the power of team.
A resident of Northern Virginia, Gianna is valiantly battling Juvenile Dermatomyositis, an inflammatory disease of the muscle, skin and blood vessels. She has joined forces with the volleyball program virtually during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, bringing her trademark positive spirit.
"Having Gianna join our team has brought such a positive light to us during these uncertain times,"Â said junior Lauren LaBeck. "She is an amazing, funny and smart little girl who puts a smile on everyone's face. The team and I can't wait to meet her in person when the time is right!"
As part of the partnership, Gianna will continue to attend team meetings and events. Ultimately, she will be able to attend GW contests when the volleyball program returns to the court.
"One would think that it'd be difficult forming a relationship with a child via Zoom calls, but Gigi has been a doll," said junior Paz Dozie-Nnamah. "She is so intelligent with such a bubbly personality. You can tell she has a genuine passion for taking care of others, especially animals, which is impressive to see at her age. She's one-of-a-kind and I can't wait to get closer to her and learn more from her."
ABOUT Team IMPACT: Team IMPACT is a national nonprofit headquartered in Boston that connects children facing serious or chronic illnesses with college athletic teams, forming lifelong bonds and life-changing outcomes. Since 2011, Team IMPACT has matched more than 1,900 children with more than 600 colleges and universities in 48 states, reaching over 55,000 participating student-athletes. The child joins the athletic team and the student-athletes join the child's support team. Throughout the journey, the child gains strength, camaraderie and support while the student-athletes experience lessons of courage, resiliency and perspective they can't learn in a classroom. For more information, visit www.goteamimpact.org.
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