HOW IT ALL BEGAN
Every spring, my school holds a Community Service Day. Classes are put on hold, and students head out in teams to take on volunteer projects around town. It might be cleaning up the local community center, or helping with landscaping at the park. The tasks aren’t always glamorous or easy, but they offer something rare: a chance to give back, with no strings attached.
The story of DoGood begins - as all the best stories do - with a problem.
That particular year, Community Service Day happened to fall on the same weekend as a national tournament I was competing in. As I sat on the plane en route to the host city, a thought struck me:
Why couldn’t we do something like this at a tournament?
At most tournaments, there’s usually a day or two without events - downtime between events or before heading home. What if we used that time to give back to the communities hosting us? Instead of just passing through, we could leave something positive behind.
As I thought more about the idea of doing good at tournaments, I kept coming back to something closer to home.
I’ve lived my whole life on a street lined with towering oaks that ends in a quiet cul-de-sac - a street that probably looks like hundreds of others in suburban neighborhoods across the country. But there’s something special about mine.
On my street, neighbors drop off medicine when someone’s sick. We bring in packages before they get soaked in the rain. We check in when the power goes out, bring meals to elderly neighbors, pick up kids from school in emergencies, and walk each other’s dogs when someone’s away. These might seem like small things, but they’re what make our street feel like a true community.
That sense of community - of people showing up for one another in quiet, meaningful ways - has been a constant in my life. I’ve seen it at school, at church, in my fencing club, and among my friends. Over and over again, I’ve come to realize that
it's these small acts of service - these moments of looking out for each other - that form the backbone of strong communities.
That’s the heart of DoGood. I wanted to take what I had experienced - how small acts can build deep bonds - and make it something that fencers could experience too. What if we brought that same spirit to tournaments? What if we gave back not just at home, but wherever we traveled?
That’s why I started DoGood.
That’s why we say, “Let’s do good anywhere.”
Because we believe that fencers and their families have the power to strengthen any community they find themselves in. Whether it's at a national tournament or in our own neighborhoods, we can make a difference. We don’t have to wait for a designated day. We don’t need permission. We just have to start - with kindness, with purpose, with action.
So, let’s do good.
Let’s do it anywhere.
Let’s do it everywhere.
Let’s do it together.