Donate to Liam and Team IMPACT

BABSON PARK, Mass.—Babson College fifth-year senior Liam Rhatigan (Holderness, N.H.) is currently hiking the Appalachian Trail to raise money for Team IMPACT and teammate Will McHugh. 

McHugh and his parents have been part of the Babson men's soccer program through Team IMPACT, which matches children facing serious illness and disability with college sports teams, since 2014. After getting to know Will and his family over the last four years, fundraising while hiking the Appalachian Trail is Rhatigan's way of giving back and reciprocating a small portion of the love and support the McHugh's have show he and his teammates. 

"(Team IMPACT) allows children like Will to be a part of a team in a capacity that would otherwise be unattainable," said Rhatigan on his pledge page. "The joy and life lessons that Will and the McHugh's have shared with our Babson soccer community have proved truly invaluable."

Will, who is affectionately called Wild Will of Westwood, was diagnosed with lissencephaly at nine months old. It is a rare brain malformation with the absence of normal brain folds in the cerebral cortex. Along with his parents, Will has been a fixture on the sidelines over the last decade as the Beavers have captured five New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) championships and made seven NCAA Tournament appearances. 

Rhatigan, who began the 2,220-mile journey from Springer Mountain, Ga., to Katahdin, Maine, back in March hit the halfway point in early June and is currently just east of the Hudson River in New York. The Appalachian Trail works its way through 14 states and completion rate for the thru-hike is about 25 percent. 

To learn more about Liam's journey and to support his fundraising efforts for Team IMPACT, please visit his pledge page.