Through two weeks of fundraising and a two-night volleyball event, more than $8,000 was raised to support the Pacheco family as they get back on their feet.

“It was wonderful to see the community come together for this family. They’ve done so much for us, so just to be able to do something like this and see the community come out to support them means a lot.” said Dunkirk volleyball coach Kyle Jarrell.

Jarrell coached Ema Pacheco this fall with the Dunkirk volleyball team. He has gotten to know the family well over the years as a multi-sport coach at various levels in the district, while the Pacheco family has always been heavily involved in Dunkirk athletics.

“I’ve had the pleasure of coaching Ema in both basketball and volleyball, and every time you look into the stands, whether it’s a home or away game, you see Ana, Larry, and Jamaladie standing up there cheering -and daughter/sister, regardless of issue. if they have to drive through rain, sleet or a snowstorm to see the game. Their kindness and perseverance is what defines what it means to be a part of this amazing Dunkirk community.” Jarrell said in a social media post leading up to the event.

Dunkirk volleyball player Brooke Szymczak, right, soars to send the ball over the net during a charity volleyball event at Dunkirk High School.

It only seemed fitting that the Dunkirk athletic community would be just as involved in the family’s comeback, and it certainly was.

A two-night volleyball event began on November 6th, then took place the following night on November 7th. Dunkirk athletes from all sports played against each other in volleyball matches, starting with the modified and junior teams on Wednesday, followed by the volleyball teams. university programs on Thursday.

The winners of each night’s opening contest battled the volleyball team to determine a winner. The event also had a bake sale sponsored by the modified volleyball team, a basket raffle and a 50-50 drawing with Spanish food sold during the games.

The modified soccer and volleyball programs competed in Thursday’s first match, which was dominated by the volleyball team with a three-set sweep. After that, the 9th and 10th grade athletes competed in a contest pitting football players and football players against each other, with the football players taking the victory, two sets to one. Wednesday’s final match featured the junior volleyball team against a group of soccer players. The football players earned a two-sets-to-one victory, thanks in part to what Jarrell called a playful “possible foul play by football team”.

After a successful first night, the boys soccer team, coached by Zach Meadows, competed against the soccer team, coached by Edwin Gomez.

The varsity soccer team took a two-set lead against the varsity soccer team to advance to the main event against the varsity volleyball team.

Once the spotlight was on, Greg Orcutt must have realized the calendar had flipped to November and winter sports were soon upon us. Known as one of Dunkirk’s basketball standouts, Orcutt used his height and athleticism to pave the way for a narrow two-sets-to-one victory over the volleyball team, with the final set separated by just two points, 25- 23.

But as impressive as every player was on the field each night, the Dunkirk community stole the show. As Jarrell said before the event, “This community is unlike any other, and it’s the people that make it thrive.”

In just two nights, more than $5,000 was raised to benefit the Pacheco family. Along with the more than $3,000 raised in the days leading up to the event, more than $8,000 will go directly to helping the Pacheco family rebuild their home.

“Regardless of the result, all the teams had so much fun. It was fun to watch the boys learn the rules of volleyball.” Jarrell said.

All three coaches look forward to establishing the event as an annual tradition to benefit local causes for years to come. Jarrell joked, “Everyone had a blast and really, if anyone needs to learn the rules, it’s Coach Meadows.”

To participate and show support, donations can be made via Venmo or Cashapp to @DunkirkVolleyball.