Thursday News Blast: ECC Athlete of the Week, Southington High School Football Fundraiser
ECC Athlete of the Week, Southington High School Football Fundraiser.
It’s almost Super Bowl weekend, but the NFP Sports team stays grinding. We recently kicked off the Southington High School football team to sell David’s Cookies and are working to build more exciting fundraising products.
ECC Athlete of the Week
Last week, Trinity Ambruso from Norwich Free Academy won ECC Girls Athlete of the Week. The gymnast Ambruso took first in vault, bars, beam, floor and All-Around in a Wildcats win vs South Windsor. For ECC Boys’ Athlete of the Week, Kolby Quinn of St. Bernard took home the win. Quinn took second place in the long jump event with a jump of 20’0” and was on the fourth place Sprint Medley Relay team at the Jack Long ECC Invitational.
Congrats to the both of them. We now have new candidates for this weeks ECC Athlete of the Week.
For the boys, there are seven candidates. On the ice Gavin Casagrande from Fitch/Eastern Connecticut netted 2 goals in a 3-1 win over Tolland High School. On the hardwood, Chris Washington of Ledyard High School had 11 points and 14 rebounds over two games. Camron Barboza of Norwich Free Academy had 36 points and 20 rebounds over two games against Windham and East Lyme. Sticking to basketball, Brendan McCool of Plainfield High School averaged 8 points and 4 assists in a three game stretch. Shifting to indoor track, Ryan Gruzcka from Stonington High School took first place in the 3200 meter at the ECC Championship event. In addition, he broke a 24 year old record in the 1600 meter with a time of 4:42.96. Last and certainly not least is Ben Muckian from St. Bernard. Ben went 5-1 in Foil in fencing matches against Griswold and Waterford.
For the girls, there are eight candidates for ECC Athlete of the Week. Gianna Butler of Fitch led the cheer team as their captain to first in both JV and Varsity at the Griswold Competition. Kali Kapilotis from Norwich Free Academy changed cheer positions and executed her moves perfectly. On the hardwood Rory Risley of Stonington High dropped 20 points in a team win over Windham. Hannah Irons from Plainfield High School averaged 10 points, 4 assists and 4 rebounds over a two game stretch. Ariahna Headen of Killingly High had 12 points and 20 rebounds in a come from behind win against Fitch. In indoor track, Payton Lowe from St. Bernard took first place in shot-put at the ECC DII Championship. Maya Suarez from Montville High took first in the 1600 meter and 3200 meter at the ECC Championship. Ella Stephenson from Ledyard High School took first in the
Make sure to vote as soon as possible for who you think should win ECC Athlete of the Week as voting closes at 8:00PM tonight. The ECC Athlete of the Week program is sponsored by Buffalo Wild Wings.
CHSCA Boys’ Hockey Player of the Week
Last week, Brendan Lynch from Simsbury High School won CHSCA Boys’ Hockey Player of the Week after he saved 20 of 21 shots he saw in a 4-1 Trojans win vs Xavier. This week we’re back with four candidates for CHSCA Boys’ Hockey Player of the Week.
In the CCC, Gabe Mohr from Southington Co-op scored 5 total goals in a three game win streak against Rocky Hill, Milford, and Wilton. Out of the FCIAC is Tony Delcarmine from New Canaan. He netted 2 goals and added an assist in a 4-1 Rams win against St. Joseph. In the Nutmeg conference, goal tender Dante Sousa from Woodstock Academy saved 33 shots in a 5-0 Centaurs win against Smithfield, Rhode Island. Last and certainly not least is goal tender John Paul Garea from East Haven Co-op out of the SCC/SWC. Garea saved 27 shots in a 3-1 win against Sheehan and 40 shots in a 2-1 win over Lyman Hall.
The CHSCA Boys’ Hockey Player of the Week is sponsored by Cheshire Sports Center and Hamden Sports Center. Voting closes at 8:00PM tonight so make sure to vote as soon as possible on CHSCA.org.
NFPs Mike Massarelli Continues To Build Unique And Exciting Upcoming Fundraising Products
Mike Massarelli knows about fundraising. As a student-athlete at Bristol Eastern High School, he was the leading seller for the football team every single year. He habitually sold over 100 discount cards each football season, single handedly bringing in over $2,000 in fundraising revenue. After graduating in 2017 and starting his collegiate studies at CCSU, he joined the Bristol Eastern Football Staff for the 2018 and 2019 seasons. In his role as an assistant coach, he assisted in running fundraising campaigns. He even worked at one of NFP’s most popular discount partners, Chunky Tomato in Bristol. That’s why it was natural for Mike to join the NFP Sports team as a college intern and now as a full-time Fundraising Coach. NFP Sports’ Founder, James Thomson shared, “It’s a full circle moment for all involved. To have Mike join our team is special. He’s done it on every level. When he works with a team, they are getting someone he understands what it means to run a successful fundraiser from every perspective.”
One area where Mike has excelled has been in building the products that are sold throughout Connecticut. Much of that work taking part in signing over 1,200 local businesses to participate in NFP’s Premium Discount Card and Premium Discount Pack products. Those products have been a mainstay in the Connecticut high school sports community for over 20 years. Recently, Massarelli has made his mark with other product lines NFP Sports offer, Brand and Category VIP Products. That includes unique products, such as the Pizza Madness Series, Golf Discount Series and multiple Brand VIP Series products. These product lines are unique, since they feature savings on certain dining experiences and activities.
The Pizza Madness product was launched approximately 10 years ago in the Wallingford area and has been offered by the Sheehan High School Boys’ Basketball Team as a unique fundraiser. Due to Massarelli’s experience in the pizza business, he asked James Thomson why the product wasn’t available in more markets. Thomson’s response, “It’s a ton of work. It takes getting into the field and meeting with pizza shop owners one on one. Mike is willing and able to do that for us, so I told him, go make it happen!” Based on Mike’s work, NFP Sports will offer 5-6 editions of the product in the following markets this spring: Greater Southington, Greater Wallingford, Greater Manchester, Greater Enfield, the Quiet Corner and possibly Southeastern CT.
The same goes for the Golf Discount Pack Series. NFP Sports offered it exclusively in eastern Connecticut before Massarelli joined the team and when he inquired about expanding the product line, he was given the green light. NFP Sports will proudly offer the following editions of the Golf Discount Pack this spring: Connecticut Central/West, Connecticut Central/East and Western Massachusetts/Northern Connecticut.
When it comes to the Brand VIP products, NFP Sports has offered them in partnership with brands, such as Dunkin’ Donuts, Subway, Buffalo Wild Wings and Moe’s Southwest Grill over the years. Massarelli noticed one emerging brand that he wanted to build a product with; Jersey Mike’s. He started contacting locations throughout the state in December of 2022 and currently, the following locations have agreed to participate: Bristol, Cheshire, Glastonbury, Groton, Enfield, Manchester, Middletown, Newington, Simsbury, Southington, Waterford and Watertown.
Now that NFP Sports has all of these unique fundraising products to offer, it’s time for some deserving teams to offer them up to their communities. Contact the NFP Sports office to find out more about these exciting products and set up your High Impact Fundraiser today: engagement@nfpbrands.com, (860) 920-0030.
Southington High School Football Is Selling David’s Cookies
The Southington High School football team just kicked off their offseason fundraiser and will be selling David’s Cookies. Over the years, the Blue Knights have been a powerhouse in the CCC. Since 2010, they’ve won two State Championships, have seen multiple playoff berths, and have sent multiple players to play college football from D3 too D1. One of the key components of Southingtons success and discipline has been that they are competitive when it comes to fundraising.
“Our best players are expected to be the best at everything we do as a program. That includes their performance in the classroom, in the weight room, on the field and fundraising.” Southington Head Football Coach Mike Drury stated prior to Kicking off their annual spring fundraiser. The Southington Blue Knights have officially started their David’s Cookie Dough fundraiser, which will end right before the spring sports season starts. Drury continued, “It gives us necessary funds going into the off-season. We don’t have the same budget that other programs have, so this is how we level the playing field. Our players know that we have to go to work and earn everything we want to accomplish.”
Southington started running their off-season cookie dough fundraiser over 10 years ago and the tradition has carried on strong. The team traditionally sells over 1,000 boxes of dough and the community enjoys getting their cookies from the players each year. “We have people asking us, “when do you guys start selling cookies?” It’s become an expectation and we enjoy the support.” Stated Drury.
The team is offering the following eight flavors of dough: chocolate chunk, triple chocolate, Reese’s peanut butter cup, oatmeal raisin, snickerdoodle, rainbow candy, white chocolate macadamia nut and gluten free chocolate chip. Each box sells for $20 and contains 48 pre-formed cookies. No thawing and scooping dough out of a tub. Just grab the desired number of cookies that you want and they will bake in less than 15 minutes. If you’re interested in supporting Blue Knights Football and getting your hands on gourmet cookie dough, simply click the link for online payment HERE. You can select the player you wish to support and they will deliver your order in 4-5 weeks.
If you are part of a team or group in need of funds, contact us to find out how to turn dough into dollars: engagement@nfpbrands.com, (860) 920-0030.
Today Is National Pizza Day!
Happy National Pizza Day! Living in Connecticut is great because you have the opportunity to eat at some of the best pizza shops in the whole country. If you’re looking to grab a pie for your family tonight, I recommend you support one of the great pizza shops that supports local high schools and works with NFP Sports.
Hometown Pizza: Wallingford, CT
Antonio’s Pizzeria & Sub Shop: North Haven, CT
Trackside Brick Oven Pizza: Wallingford, CT
Rossini’s Italian Restaurant and Pizza: Cheshire, CT
Grand Pizza North: North Haven, CT
Pop’s Pizza: Cheshire, CT
Minervini’s Pizzeria: Wallingford, CT
Bella Luna Pizza: Meriden, CT
Mr. Bimonte’s Pizza: Cheshire, CT
Old Colony Pizza: Wallingford, CT
Fabi’s Pizza: Wallingford, CT
Amore Pizza: Wallingford, CT
Serafino’s: Wallingford, CT
Wallingford Pizza House: Wallingford, CT
Joey Garlic’s: Manchester, CT
Woodbridge Pizza: Vernon, CT
Paul’s Pizza & Restaurant: Vernon, CT
Randy’s Wooster St. Pizza: Manchester, CT
Holiday Restaurant & Pizza: Ellington, CT
Pepe’s Restaurant: Manchester, CT
Hometown Pizza: Ellington, CT
Andi’s Pizzeria: Manchester, CT
Bianna’s Pizza: Vernon, CT
Vernon Pizza Restaurant: Vernon, CT
Buckland Grill & Pizza: South Windsor, CT
Frank Pepe’s: Manchester, CT
Chunky Tomato: Bristol, CT
The Fire Place: Southington, CT
George’s Pizza & Restaurant: Unionville, CT
Max Pizza & Restaurant: Bristol, CT and Burlington, CT
Farmington Pizza + Kitchen: Farmington, CT
Sergio’s Pizza: Bristol, CT
Hometown Pizza: Bristol, CT
Pizza Pie: Plainville, CT
Vivaldi’s Pizza: Southington, CT
West Main Pizza: Plainville, CT
Nico’s Pizza: Plantsville, CT
Nonna’s Pizza: Southington, CT