Lehigh Athletes Partner with Team Impact to Support Kids
Student athletes are hosting local events to raise awareness for children facing disabilities and chronic illnesses.
Updated on Oct. 21, 2026 in Special Needs
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Lehigh University student athletes are partnering with the nonprofit Team Impact to build community for local children facing chronic illnesses or disabilities. Following a September 2026 awareness campaign, the teams are organizing upcoming events to support these families.
Why it matters
The collaboration aims to provide children with disabilities a lasting sense of belonging through fellowship with collegiate sports teams. This initiative helps integrate student athletes into support networks that connect families with broader campus communities.
Student athlete Ethan Smith completed a daily 5k run in September to drive awareness, while teammate Abby Felkai attended a three-day training summit in Boston to refine their collaboration strategy.
The players
Lehigh University
A research university that hosts various collegiate athletic programs involved in local community support initiatives.
Team Impact
A national nonprofit organization that connects children facing serious illness or disability with collegiate athletic teams.
Ethan Smith
A Lehigh University student athlete who led a month-long run challenge to raise awareness for the program.
Abby Felkai
A Lehigh student athlete who participated in specialized fellowship training to support the collaboration.
The details
Lehigh student athletes engage in fellowship training through the athletic department to ensure meaningful interactions with their matched participants. These partnerships typically involve regular attendance at games and team activities to foster long-term bonds between the collegiate players and children living with disabilities or chronic illnesses.
Timeline
September 2026: Ethan Smith completed a daily 5k run challenge.
Summer 2026: Abby Felkai attended a Team Impact fellowship summit.
October 31, 2026: Lehigh students host a tailgate and relay event.
The Home Front
This partnership follows the established Team Impact collegiate matching model that connects student athletes with children facing chronic health challenges. It reflects a growing trend of institutionalizing community-support roles within university athletics programs nationwide.
Families in the Bethlehem area looking for community support can research the Team Impact program to understand how match-based fellowships function. Consider reaching out to the Lehigh University athletic department to learn about upcoming opportunities for community involvement.
The takeaway
Building community support through collegiate athletics provides children with disabilities meaningful social outlets. Families interested in these connections can mark their calendars for the upcoming October 31 tailgate event to see the program in action.
What happens next
Lehigh student athletes will host a Team Impact tailgate and relay event on October 31, 2026.
Further reading
Learn more about local support resources in Special Needs.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Brown and White.
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