FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 28, 2016

COLCHESTER, Vt. - The Saint Michael's College field hockey team participated in the Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Foundation's Great Strides walk at Burlington's Oakledge Park on Sept. 18 for the fifth straight year, helping a local family continue fighting the disease that afflicts both young daughters, including one that is a teammate of the squad through Team IMPACT.

In 2012, the Purple Knights welcomed aboard local youth Maureen Eddy, now 17 years old, as their newest teammate through Team IMPACT, a non‐profit organization serving children who are facing life‐threatening and chronic illnesses. Both Maureen and her younger sister are afflicted with CF, a chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system of about 30,000 children and adults in the United States, and 70,000 worldwide. The disease can lead to life-threatening lung infections, and stops natural enzymes from helping the body break down and absorb food.

Maureen's family and friends have participated in Great Strides each year since 2003, with Team Eddy raising more than $130,000 since then. Team Eddy raised more than $7,000 this year at an event that garnered in excess of $60,000 total for the CF Foundation. For information about how to support Team Eddy, visit tinyurl.com/eddy2016.

Great Strides, which began in 1989, is the CF Foundation's largest national fundraising endeavor. More than 125,000 people come together at greater than 500 sites across the country annually to walk in Great Strides, as funds raised by the organization help support life-saving research, quality care and education programs. More information about Burlington's Great Strides walk can be found here.

Information for this release provided by the Saint Michael's athletics communications staff

ABOUT THE NORTHEAST-10
The Northeast-10 Conference is an association of 15 NCAA Division II colleges and universities located in New England and New York that is committed to supporting balanced academic and athletic opportunities for more than 6,500 student-athletes. 

Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE-10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the Northeast-10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.