“Be part of something bigger than yourself.” A message instilled into the Northeast High School Field Hockey team by head coach Alexa Bell. Coming off their fifth straight Public League title, Northeast Field Hockey is well versed in what it takes to win and how to achieve success. Success, however, is something that can be achieved on and off the field, and the team’s dedication to the patients of the Fox Chase cancer center shows exactly this.
For the past five seasons, Northeast Field Hockey has designed and sold “Play for the Cure” t-shirts for staff, family and friends to raise money for their program. 20% of all proceeds go towards the creation of cancer comfort bags for Fox Chase cancer patients, which are delivered annually by the Northeast Field Hockey team.
The Fox Chase Cancer Center has been providing care to the City of Philadelphia for over a century, and has been a stalwart in the northeast community for just as long. With it’s long and decorated history of service, it is no wonder why the northeastern Philadelphia community is eager to provide support.
“I do this with my team more so to get them involved in community service and see that their hard work goes to a good cause” says Bell. “Many of our players have had or known someone who has gotten treatments at Fox Chase. The players look forward to this every year and do a great job selling shirts for a good cause.”
The players and staff of the Northeast Field Hockey program fully exemplify what it means to be a Philadelphia Public League athlete and coach. The Public League prides itself on its deep-rooted connection to the Philadelphia community and this initiative serves as a beacon of inspiration to all past, present, and future Public League athletes and coaches. We could not be more proud of Northeast’s consistent dedication to their community and cause!
