The Oak Knoll JV and Varsity soccer teams are running toward another goal this fall – this time to raise funds and awareness for The Welles Remy Crowther Charitable Trust during the Royals’ Red Bandanna 5K on Wednesday, October 21, 2020, during soccer practice.

The Red Bandanna 5K is typically held in-person each year at Crowther’s alma mater, Boston College. Crowther has long been hailed as a 9/11 civilian hero after he wore a red bandanna over his face during heroic efforts to help others flee from the World Trade Center.

Due to COVID-19, this year’s 5K run held in his honor, switched to a virtual fundraising platform and all 46 Oak Knoll soccer players are contributing funds for this united cause. Both soccer teams also hope the entire OKS community rallies together to support the cause.

Oak Knoll’s Red Bandanna 5K run is organized this fall by OKS senior soccer captains Katherine Whelan ’21, of Essex Fells, and Jacqueline Snyder ’21, of New Providence.

Whelan first discovered this initiative several years ago while her two siblings attended Boston College.

“Over the years, I have come to hold the Red Bandanna cause very dear to my heart,” said Whelan. “I thought it would be a great initiative for OKS Soccer to participate in because the selfless, passionate spirit of Welles Crowther, the man to whom we dedicate our service, perfectly embodies what OKS soccer strives to embody on and off the field.”

Whelan and Snyder plan to keep Crowther’s legacy alive at Oak Knoll, well after this initial 5K run is over. In fact, both Oak Knoll soccer teams plan to name a “Blue Bandana Player” after every soccer game to recognize an individual who best exemplifies Crowther’s fighting spirit.

“We have been given a platform in order to truly make a difference through our actions, not words,” said Whelan, who stressed the importance for busy high school students to find time to give back those in need. “We hope that by incorporating more service into our soccer season, that the younger players on the team will continue to carry out this Oak Knoll soccer legacy that is service-driven and selflessly motivated for years to come.”