After playing its last four homecoming football games at Bishop Guilfoyle in Altoona, the St. Joseph’s Catholic Academy Wolves are energized to play this year’s match-up at Memorial Field in State College on Saturday. But, prior to the game, students at the Boalsburg school have been participating in a week of events.
“Homecoming is a student-led activity,” said athletic director Chad Walsh, “and from the beginning, our students chose to center homecoming activities around a service project. This year’s project is the completion of an ongoing student-led initiative: fully funding the building of a well in Swaziland through the Thirst Project.”
The Thirst Project fundraiser was adopted by students in 2016 and has the big goal of raising $12,000 to complete a well that will offer clean water to a community in the African nation. So far, $5,816 has been raised, and the students are hoping homecoming week will put them across the finish line.
‘To finish up the funding for the Thirst Project this year would be a huge accomplishment,’ said junior Anna Aiello. “We can provide hundreds of thousands of people with clean drinking water and St. Joe’s would be the first high school in Pennsylvania to complete a well. This accomplishment would mean so much.’
Before the football game, students and the school community will come together on Friday for a festival and bonfire organized by the student council and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
“The students chose and organized the bonfire event, and they are extremely excited to see the game at Memorial Field,” Walsh said. “After years of traveling to BG, our students, families, fans and athletes are thrilled to see the Wolves play locally.”
St. Joseph’s homecoming game against Columbia-Montour kicks off at 5 p.m. on Saturday.
