July 18th, 2025 – Stories of sacrifice, triumph, and unwavering community support. Provided by our good friends at GoFundMe. All stories are linked directly to GoFundMe pages.
This week’s Feel Good Friday showcases the incredible lengths families and communities will go to support young athletes. From working multiple jobs to funding adaptive sports and preserving beloved programs, these stories remind us that behind every athletic achievement is a network of people who believe in the power of dreams.
This Week’s Inspiring Headlines:
⚽ Mother and Daughter Work Four Jobs to Keep Soccer Dreams Alive
🏍️ Community Helps Boy Born with Deformity Defend Gold Medal
🏀 Coop’s Hoops Sends Hundreds of Underserved Kids to Elite Basketball Camps
🛷 10-Year-Old Makes Team USA Luge, Community Steps Up for Costly Training
🏊♀️ Cal Poly Students Fight to Bring Back Beloved Swim & Dive Program
⚽ A Mother’s Love Measured in 70-Hour Work Weeks
Michelle Shanewise’s dedication to her daughter Naomi’s soccer dreams is nothing short of extraordinary. Working 70 hours a week while Naomi holds down a part-time job and walks dogs on the side, this mother-daughter duo is doing everything possible to keep college soccer dreams alive.
Naomi’s talent speaks for itself – in just her sophomore year of high school, she earned Athletic Scholar Award, Defensive Player of the Year, All-Conference, All-State, and Conference Player of the Year honors as a goalkeeper. The skill is undeniable, but the financial reality is heartbreaking.
“It broke my heart last year getting phone calls from Arizona or Missouri from her, and all she wanted was a hug from me after her games,” Michelle shared on GoFundMe. “All I could do was say I’ll work more, and we would count down the days until she was home again.”
The community heard Michelle’s plea to simply be there for her daughter, raising over $4,000 to help cover Naomi’s soccer expenses. Sometimes the most powerful victories happen off the field.
🏍️ Going for Gold Against All Odds
Ten-year-old Christian Auger proves that limitations exist only in the mind. Born with a rare condition that prevented his left arm and hand from fully developing, Christian has never let that stop him from pursuing his need for speed on the motocross track.
Last year, this determined young racer won gold at the Adaptive Motocross Championship in Kansas – a 2,400-mile journey from his New Hampshire home that required tremendous community support to make possible.
“We would not have been able to make this dream a reality last year without the gracious help of sponsors and donations,” explained his father, Alex Auger.
Now, as Christian prepares to defend his title, the community is once again rallying behind him. The modest $2,800 goal for travel costs is quickly being met, proving that when talent meets determination, communities respond.
🏀 Honoring a Legacy Through Basketball Dreams
Some organizations are born from tragedy but create something beautiful in response. Coop’s Hoops, founded in 2014, honors the memory of Cooper Stock, a young basketball enthusiast whose summers were defined by his camp experiences before being killed by a reckless taxi driver in New York City.
“Cooper cherished his time at basketball camp every summer, calling it the best weeks of his life,” the organization shares. Now, Coop’s Hoops ensures that passion, not finances, determines who gets to experience that same joy.
Since its inception, the organization has provided full scholarships to nearly 1,000 deserving kids for National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) Summer Basketball camps. With support from donors, sponsors, and former Knicks legend Walt “Clyde” Frazier, they’re leveling the playing field for underserved communities one camper at a time.
The initiative serves boys and girls aged 7 to 17, giving them access to high-level basketball instruction and confidence-building experiences that extend far beyond the court.
🛷 Team USA Dreams Come with Unexpected Costs
Reagan Attianese’s Olympic dreams got a major boost when the 10-year-old from Selden, New York, earned a spot on the Team USA Youth Junior Luge Team. But her parents quickly discovered that being the youngest team member comes with unique financial challenges.
The rule requiring athletes to be at least 12 years old to live in the Olympic Center in Lake Placid means one parent must take time off work to accompany Reagan to training. Hotel rooms, meals, daily travel to the training center, and gas costs add up quickly on top of regular training and equipment expenses.
“This unfortunately means my husband or I have to take off from work and go up there with her to Lake Placid for training,” explained Reagan’s mother, Diane Attianese. “It adds up very quickly.”
The community has already raised over $2,000 to help Reagan’s family manage these peripheral costs, ensuring she can claim her spot as the youngest member on the team while pursuing her Olympic dreams.
🏊♀️ Fighting to Restore a Swimming Legacy
Not all battles in youth sports involve individual athletes – sometimes entire programs need saving. The Cal Poly Swim and Dive team is fighting for its very existence after university officials confirmed the program will not be reinstated at this time.
Sofia and Camilo Vargas, proud alumni siblings who once called the Anderson Aquatic Center home, are leading a renewed student-led campaign to restore the program by Fall 2025. After the original fundraising efforts proved insufficient and donations were returned, they’ve regrouped with a more strategic approach.
“Many called the arena their home,” Sofia explains, hoping to restore that feeling and pride that defined generations of Cal Poly swimmers and divers.
The Anderson Aquatic Center stands as both a symbol of what was lost and a beacon of hope for what could be restored. This fight represents something larger – the ongoing struggle to preserve athletic programs that serve as cornerstones of student life.
The Real Competition: Overcoming Obstacles
This week’s stories share a common thread, they’re all about overcoming obstacles that have nothing to do with athletic ability. Whether it’s financial constraints, physical challenges, tragic loss, age restrictions, or institutional decisions, these athletes and their communities prove that the most important victories happen when people refuse to give up.
From a mother working 70 hours a week to a 10-year-old with a limb difference racing for gold, these stories remind us that in youth sports, the scoreboard doesn’t always tell the most important story. Sometimes the greatest achievements happen when communities come together to ensure that talent, passion, and determination aren’t defeated by circumstances beyond a young athlete’s control.
