Action Team, an affiliate of the Major League Baseball Players Trust and Volunteers of America, was created in 2003 to inspire high school students to volunteer within their communities. There are more than 100 high schools in 35 states who work hard volunteering at various events.
Mary Ann Martin, Action Team leader, says the TA team has a great impact in the school and the community.
“The TA Action Team is a group that helps other people in need and is making a difference in another person’s life,” Martin said. “They are caring, loving and have a lot of heart. I’m hoping that when the students leave they will continue to volunteer and make the world a better place for all.”
The TA Action Team along with other Maine high school teams traveled to Boston on Monday to attend the Boston Red Sox vs. Philadelphia Phillies game. Teams attended batting practice and watched as press and players prepared for the game.
This year, Action Team captain and $2,000-dollar scholarship winner, Elizabeth Roy, a junior, was among the members. Roy has dedicated her time to community and school events, specifically with the Paul Hazelton House, a V.O.A. independent senior housing complex.
Roy said she’s grateful for her scholarship.
“The money will go towards my education,” she said. “I’m looking at majoring in neuroscience and music performance.”
According to Roy, she joined the team as a freshman because she wanted to get involved.
“I love the people and what we do. When I first went to the Hazelton House and didn’t know what I was doing, everyone was so warm and welcoming, it felt great,” said Roy.
Previous team captain and now advisor, Kaitlyn Hall, can attest to the importance of the TA Action Team.
“When I joined the Action Team in 2008 it was just something I thought was fun to do. Now, almost 10 years later I am still involved with the Action Team as an advisor,” she said. “It showed me that giving back to the community is important to me and has shaped what I want to do as a career: public health dentistry. I wouldn’t have discovered this amazing volunteer group without Mary Ann Martin’s dedication.”
The Action Team is one of many groups at Thornton Academy that demonstrate the student’s willingness to help others.
Martin says it is evident that the group can provide lasting, life-changing experiences for the students and those that they help.
— Kaitlyn Hall is the sister of Staff Writer Lindsey Hall.
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