Seven On the Green Line 2014

Last year, the world was rocked by the Boston Marathon bombing. Out of the tragedy came numerous charity events and support groups, all dedicated to the idea of being “Boston Strong.” Within the ultimate community, this led to Seven on the Green Line, a charity tournament based in  Lowell, Massachusetts. With only three weeks of prep, the goal was to raise $4,00 for two members of the community injured by the blast.

After surpassing their goal by $1,355 (for a total of $5,355 raised with one event), creator Scott Walfield has decided to continue to aid the community through the joys of ultimate. This year, he plans on hosting four events to raise funds for various charities. The first two, coming this spring, are already planned for May 3rd and June 14th.

The event on May 3rd is dedicated to Alternative House, a charity that provides support, counseling, legal advocacy and emergency shelter to battered women and children. June 14th is dedicated to the United Teen Equality Center, a nationally recognized organization for youth development. They work with Lowell area teens to help them succeed socially and economically. The goal is to donate $3,000 to each charity, and for the first two events, proceeds will be pooled and then split evenly between the two organizations.

When asked why he chose Alternative House and United Teen Equality Center for the fall events, Walfield was happy to discuss his personal connection to the two organizations: as a doctoral candidate in the field of Domestic Violence, he has seen firsthand the benefit that these two organizations have had on the community of Lowell. He’s also noted that there are very little resources going to these types of issues, and that members of the ultimate community have the opportunity to give back with events such as charity tournaments.

The Men’s Ultimate team at Lowell has been especially helpful, volunteering manpower at the events and helping involve the younger community. Last year, approximately 90 people from area showed up to play in the tournament, and others from outside the immediate area made online donations- an act that can be repeated this year as well. A number of ultimate companies such as SpikeBall and UltiCards have donated items to be auctioned off at the event, and anyone can donate to the fundraising page. This year, Five Ultimate will be offering an incentive to those who donate online: each $50 donation will receive a random jersey, and each $100 donation will receive either an Odyssey jacket, or a Duality Jacket.

The dates and organizations for the two fall events have not yet been chosen, but Walfield is open to working with any worthy organization or group that is interested, and is open to contact from anyone interesting in helping with Seven On The Green Line events. Walfield stresses that anyone can do these types of events in their area, and those interested should reach out to successful events if they need help getting started.

For more information, visit Seven On The Green Line, or the Facebook pages for the May 3rd and June 14th events.  To donate, visit their fundraising page.