Courtesy of Salem State Sports Information

Salem, Mass. -- Salem State women's basketball welcomed newest recruit, thirteen-year old Breana Wilcox, to the team on Thursday, July 24th, in a team-signing event held at the O'Keefe Complex. Breana, who is from Salem, will be entering the eighth grade at the Collins Middle School, and was recruited through a partnership with Team IMPACT, a non-profit organization based in Quincy, Massachusetts chartered to improve the quality of life for children facing life-threatening illnesses.

Team IMPACT helps draft children onto local college athletic teams, which allows them to become an official member of the team for the duration of their treatment and beyond.

Junior forward Katherine Hutchinson and her teammates embraced the opportunity to support Breana, who is undergoing treatment for Autoimmune Inflammatory Disease. "Being involved with Bre impacts all of us, because it shows basketball isn't just about winning games and going to practice. It is about reaching out to people and building relationships. Personally, I feel so lucky to be able to welcome Bre to the basketball team. Few teams are given an opportunity to work with Team Impact, and if we are able to help Bre and make her feel better for just a few minutes every day, then I think we will benefit from it, just as much as Bre is."

Breana will be with the Vikings at practice and games. She will be in the locker room both pre-game and post-game, and will be able enjoy the experience of being a student-athlete at Salem State.

Head coach Michelle Cunningham is proud of her team for reaching out into the community and allowing Breana to become a part of the basketball team: "I think this will be a great opportunity, not only for Breana, but for the team, as they will see that their aches and pains from running hard at practices are minor compared to the struggles that she lives with on a daily basis. I hope that they will retain a great sense of pride from being a role model every day."

For more information about Team IMPACT, please go to http://www.goteamimpact.org/index.php.