The Bala Cynwyd Middle School gymnasium recently played host to neighboring Cynwyd Elementary’s Freedom Tournament – an annual dodgeball competition providing an opportunity for students and staff to have some fun while raising funds for a worthy cause.

This year, the decision on where to direct the funds fell to the fourth-grade class, who selected the Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), Philadelphia’s largest animal rescue provider, and Cynwyd’s Helping Hands Committee, a group of parent/guardian volunteers who work with school guidance counselors to help families-in-need, as beneficiaries.

More than 500 friends and family members filled the bleachers as they enjoyed watching the preliminary round robin-style matches before the top-performing teams moved on to the single-elimination rounds. At the end of the day, it was the purple team that outperformed their opponents as they went on to claim this year’s championship trophy.

Ultimately, the Cynwyd community raised more than $2,000 and hundreds of pounds of much-needed shelter supplies for PAWS and the Helping Hands Committee!

PAWS is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to saving Philadelphia’s homeless and at-risk pets. PAWS is the city’s largest rescue partner and provider of affordable, basic veterinary care for pet owners and rescue organizations that cannot otherwise access it. Each year, PAWS finds loving homes for thousands of animals in need, and enables thousands of families to keep their cherished pets. PAWS is working to make Philadelphia a no-kill city where every savable pet is guaranteed a home. For more information about PAWS, click here.

For more information about Cynwyd’s Helping Hands Committee, click here.