In today’s episode of This Hits Different, Shelby Cassesse tells the story of Avonworth’s Matthew Purcell, who has turned his love for sports into benefits for his community.
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As the class of 2023 crosses the graduation stage - many will remember the bulk of their four years navigating the COVID-19 pandemic.
For Avonworth's Matthew Purcell, March 2020 is when a big part of his story begins.
“So I was seeing every day on the news that the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank just had, like, really long lines of cars waiting for pickups to get the food that they needed,” he says. “Obviously a lot of people were laid off at the time.”
The star swimmer and runner was abruptly without his freshman track season.
“I thought, how can I sort of maybe blend these two things together to create one benefit for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank,” he says. “So I settled on a virtual 5K and one-mile walk.”
Over 100 people completed the grassroots race, raising 15,000 meals for the food bank. Matthew saw a model that could work in a time where things were most uncertain.
He took the idea to his school's Key Club, which is a service-based organization. They decided to do the same thing, this time focusing on Highmark Caring Place, which provides support for grieving children.
It was a small event to start, but it took off in its second year when it became an in-person event.
“ So I think it was about 5,600 total that has ended up going to that organization, which is really great,” he says.
It's likely to be an annual event, even as Matthew goes on to swim at Brown University. And while he has made an impact through service, the experience also left a lasting mark on him.
“It's been really great to sort of bring people together for a common cause,” he says. “I think it's really great to have everyone unite and work towards helping other people.”
Ask anyone in his life, and they'll tell you bringing people together is what Matthew is all about. In a recent application for the WPIAL's James Collins Scholar Athlete Award, Avonworth principal Keera DeWulit described him as the ‘first to reach out to someone who has fallen. Matthew does everything with excellence but never by stepping on others.’
A mentality the class president and valedictorian will take with him as he plans to make an impact outside of Western Pennsylvania.
“I’m always trying to be just a little bit better every day and staying kind,” he says. “I think a lot of people forget to stay kind right now. And that the stuff that they say actually does matter.”