When we usually think about leaders, specific people come to mind: Individuals who have personally impacted our lives and the lives of others around us. But this week, I had the privilege to meet a different kind of leader. In fact, an entire team of leaders: the Santa Clarita Skyhawks. It’s a semi-pro football team that plays for one purpose: to raise funds and awareness for pediatric cancer. No awards. No money. No fame. Simply playing the sport they love for a cause they believe in.
It all started when Jamil Antoine and Michael Mcintyre decided it was time to play football for something more than simply the love of the game. They teamed up with a nonprofit pediatric cancer organization called The Michael Hoefflin Foundation and created the Skyhawks. Word quickly spread and football players from all over southern California came together to be a part of this cause. The team raised funds for uniforms, joined a league, and started practicing. They are only in their first season and have already made a huge impact in the community and the sport of football as a whole.
And it was easy to sense the impact these men have made the second I stepped onto the field. It’s a unique sense of leadership, camaraderie, integrity and selflessness that I have never seen in a team before. No one is playing for personal glory or self-satisfaction. They are playing as one unit for a cause greater than any medal can ever bring. And when they win, it’s not about league standings, rankings, or fame. It’s about being victorious for every courageous child that is fighting cancer and for every family that has lost a loved one to this terrible disease.
This team is a leader in their community, a leader in cancer awareness, and a leader in the game of football. My definition of what it means to be a leader is forever changed after meeting these remarkable individuals.
I will be following the Skyhawks through their season to track their progress on the field, and more importantly, how it impacts lives off the field. So keep checking my blog and root for the Santa Clarita Skyhawks as they raise awareness and help fight cancer!
-Katie Boggs
Dear Katie, I'm agree with you, these kind of leaders are more important than others. And more important, is if they fighting against "child cancer". Here, from the distant Chile, I will support "Skyhawks" and I am follow your post. Greetings.
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