Hail to the champs.
Team Fuller is a fixture at the Winnipesaukee Volleyball Classic. Year after year they can be found in their “Team Fuller”-emblazoned shirts, smiles plastered on their faces, regardless if they carry home the championship trophy.
Actually, strike that – they are champions, scoring the Lead Fundraiser accolade this past event. It is an honor that Team Fuller has secured for three years straight. (That is officially dynasty status if you’re keeping score.)
“We circle the Volleyball Classic on our calendar every year,” says Nick Connolly, a founding member of Team Fuller. “It’s such a great venue and it’s for a great cause.”
All event proceeds go to Logan’s Giving Fund for Autism, a special fund that is part of the CMF Kids and Crotched Mountain Foundation suite of autism-focused services.
Every penny donated helps families struggling with expensive co-pays for therapies for their children with autism.
Nick and his wife Amy know why this is so important. They have two children on the autism spectrum and Nick is the first to acknowledge that they are fortunate to have the resources to lessen the burden of onerous therapeutic costs. For many, many other families? It could indeed be a massive struggle.
“We’ve seen first hand the effectiveness of early intervention,” he says. “Unfortunately a lot of families are not able to easily afford these supports or the related advocacy. If we can do our little part to help the families, it means a lot.”
Thanks in no small part to Team Fuller’s fundraising prowess, the 2024 edition of the Winnipesaukee Volleyball Classic brought in over $35,000 for Logan’s Giving Fund for Autism. Lightning-fast, these dollars went to ease the burden of families with children with autism.
“We’ve seen first hand the effectiveness of early intervention,” he says. “Unfortunately a lot of families are not able to easily afford these supports or the related advocacy. If we can do our little part to help the families, it means a lot.”
Nick and his teammates do all this in memory of his youngest brother, Donnie, who passed away unexpectedly five years ago at the age of 30. His nickname was “Fuller,” and it now lives on through his family when they participate in team events – something Donnie loved to do.
“Donnie actually played on our first ever team for the volleyball classic,” Nick says. “For us, it’s all about our family dynamic and naming our team after Donnie is a way to honor him.”
If you would like to support the CMF Kids autism fund please visit www.cmf.org/give.