Community News

The 24 Hour Sarah Parvin Annual Memorial Soccerfest is the premier event for the Sarah Parvin Foundation. It began with an idea, sparked by the memory of an energetic and courageous young soccer player. Sarah Parvin played for the Quakertown Soccer Club. She played with her long, wavy hair blowing behind her, and she played with no hair at all. She was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, Small Cell Ovarian Cancer with Hypercalcemia. She succumbed to the disease shortly after her twelfth birthday. She was remembered as having an unfailing spirit, and an infectious smile. “There must be something that we can do.”….

“Let’s play soccer for 24 hours, and raise money to combat this devastating disease”, and so we formed a partnership with the Quakertown Soccer Club. They are an amazing group of selfless people, who are willing to give generously of their time and talents. That first year, we started with approximately 80 teams signed up to participate in this new-fangled idea. Games of soccer were played around the clock, people volunteered their time to feed the masses and give families a great memory to take with them. Well, the idea caught on! A great time was had by all, and coaches, teams, and families vowed to return the following year! And so they did, and they kept on coming. The team count rose to over 200 teams each year. This is a very different concept than a traditional soccer tournament. There are no established winners in these games. There is only sportsmanship, comradery, and the joy of playing the game. Everyone is a winner who comes to the event and enjoys all of the activities that are offered. Food, music, entertainment, vendor goods, and soccer games abound. There is something for everyone and the atmosphere is one of joy and hope.