Athletic Support

Among the annual onslaught of New Year's resolutions that everyone loves to make (and many are certain to break), there are two that generally stand out as the most popular and predictable of the bunch: getting in shape, and doing good deeds.

Fitness and philanthropy are only such likely bedfellows at the start of the year. But if Nick Ciaccio and Matt Ottaviani have their way, members of the LGBT community's largest local sports teams will be keeping the spirit of charity active throughout 2009. Ciaccio, special events chair for Beantown Softball League and Ottaviani, director of community affairs and outreach for Boston FLAG Flag Football, have teamed up to create the Throw Back Initiative, an ambitious effort to rally the organizations' memberships toward literally hundreds of volunteer opportunities over the next 12 months.

The leagues boast a roster of over 500 LGBT athletes, and the Throw Back Initiative is designed to provide built-in opportunities for everyone to donate time toward important community-based organizations: Boston Living Center, Community Servings and Waltham House are those selected for the Initiative's first time at bat. The Initiative will coordinate 30 volunteer opportunities each month between the groups, resulting in 360 total over the course of 2009; nearly as many volunteer opportunities as there are days in the year.

"These kind of organizations depend on volunteers," says Ottaviani. "They're so necessary for them to do the work that they do."

"A lot of people want to give back, but the question is always, 'How do I fit it into my schedule?'" adds Ciaccio, explaining the dilemma that causes even the best intentioned to fall off the wagon in their resolutions to contribute to the community. "Our standpoint was to make it [volunteerism] more manageable, more available to people. They might not know what to do, or have the time to figure things out and coordinate with the actual charities to get placed in a group. We took that out of the equation. We're basically saying, 'Here are some social groups you already belong to. What if we get ten to fifteen of your buddies together to volunteer?'"

The response so far has been overwhelmingly positive.

"We've been thrilled," says Ottaviani, adding that a Facebook page for the Initiative, bi-weekly e-mail reminders and of course, word of mouth among athletes has already helped them fill all their volunteer slots for opportunities this month, with things getting off to a solid start during a kickoff at the Boston Living Center on Jan. 5. Going forward, the group will gather volunteers to serve meals at the center on the first Monday and first Thursday of every month. Both the Boston Living Center and Community Servings focus their efforts on care for those living with HIV/AIDS, and it's no coincidence that Ciaccio and Ottaviani chose them for that reason.

"Long story short, a friend of mine has a friend who was diagnosed with a latter stage of HIV," explains Ciaccio. Though that friend is a 26-year-old heterosexual woman, Ciaccio says that her diagnosis provided a rude reawakening to the prevalence of the disease and made him wonder whether those too young to remember how the epidemic ravaged the gay community are aware of the risks that still exist.

"It raised a lot of questions for me," says Ciaccio. "Here's someone diagnosed [and yet] the illness has been around longer than they've been alive."

The personal experience inspired Ciaccio to begin volunteering at the Boston Living Center himself. "It was a very eye-opening experience for me," he says. "I had family members who passed away from it [AIDS], and you think you're immune to it. ... But I walked in there, and I was completely... I just wasn't expecting to be affected by it the way that I was."

"I think everyone should have the opportunity to experience that," he adds.

Waltham House, the first residential group home in New England specifically designed for LGBT and questioning youth, also holds a special place in the heart of these athlete volunteers. Ottaviani says that Boston FLAG Flag Football has already worked with Waltham House for the past seven years, and that the experiences forged there go to the very heart of volunteerism.

"It's not just that we show up for these kids for a few hours and then, that's the end of it," says Ottaviani. Rather, the opportunities allow for volunteers and youth to form important, supportive bonds that are invaluable to both generations. "They want to keep in touch," adds Ottaviani. They come to Friends and Family Days, they come out to the parks [to see games], they write letters and e-mails."

While the project was designed primarily for the hundreds involved with Beantown Softball League and Boston FLAG Flag Football, Ciaccio says that athletes have invited non-member friends to join them on volunteer outings. Throw Back is even in early talks conversations with sports teams in Philadelphia to begin a partnership between the cities. And locally, Ciaccio hopes that favorite LGBT hangouts will consider teaming up with the Initiative as social outlets for post-volunteer events that encourage high energy and a spirit of community among those lending their time.

Ultimately, though, the main goal of the Throw Back Initiative is to open eyes and awareness to important issues affecting the LGBT community. Every volunteer opportunity, says Ciaccio, is an opportunity to learn.

"I don't care who you are or what you do," he says. "As long as you're not the same person who woke up that day."

For more information on Beantown Softball League, Boston FLAG Flag Football and The Throw Back Initiative, visit www.beantownsoftball.com and www.flagflagfootball.com.