This past Saturday, the varsity boys’ soccer team traveled to downtown Chicago for what would be a morning full of helpfulness. The team paired up with Chicago’s St. Patrick High School for a team-building activity to help give back to the community, and show random acts of kindness on the streets of the city.

“For me, it’s about those community service and civic engagement components,” head coach Josh Robinson said.

The activity, “Buddy’s Helpers”, helped culminate in the PepsiCo Showdown-the nation’s largest annual high school varsity soccer tournament held every September in which Metea and other Chicagoland schools participate in. The “Helpers” program was designed to show how the players can give back off the field through community service.

“It’s great to help out the city in general, just to make everything better, stop everything bad, and deliver more good,” sophomore Kevin Branch said.

Some of the acts done by the players throughout the morning included donating bottles of water, bananas, and donuts to various city-goers, as well as giving out superhero capes to children in Millennium Park. The event lasted the average length it takes to play a typical soccer game, and ended with a ceremony in Grant Park. The ceremony featured the players from each school who wrote notes of compassion on different toys, helping out 1,000 children.

Overall, the event was well received by the team. It was a unique opportunity for the players to do an activity outside of the Naperville/Aurora area, spread kindness, and brighten others’ days throughout the city.

“Making other people happy and lighting up their hearts, that’s the most important thing,” Branch said.

The organization’s message is simple: “One team. One goal.”

“It’s an opportunity for us to help the city and those in need, rather than just sitting at home on a Saturday morning,” senior Dominic Duffy said.