Trumbull High Takedown Club to honor volunteer with lasting impact award
TRUMBULL — After Diane Fulco’s son joined his high school’s wrestling team, he grappled with opponents on the mat.
Fulco, on the other hand, took to tackling the role of volunteer.
In the years since, she has spent countless hours of her time assisting the team’s Takedown Club by improving the wrestling program’s communications, handling emails and registrations. Next weekend she will be honored for making a lasting impact.
What started out as an offer to volunteer became an enduring connection with the Trumbull High School wrestling team, even after her son aged out of the program.
“Very soon it became a very profitable, nonprofit organization,” Fulco said. “So we made some money, and we were able to donate that money towards our high school programs.”
Fulco is no longer fundraising as much, but she still keeps in touch with former players and staff.
And now Fulco is getting her due, earning the club’s Lasting Impact Award, which she will be presented at a special ceremony at 7 p.m. on Feb. 4 at the Tashua Knolls Golf Course. Tickets can be purchased for $50. Only adults 21 and older can attend.
Gillian Anderson, a friend and wife of Trumbull High wrestling coach Charlie Anderson, said Fulco was able to grow the program by treating it as a business which allowed the team to ensure everyone, including less fortunate children, could participate.
Charlie Anderson said Fulco was instrumental to the growth of the program when she first became involved in the Youth Wrestling Program in 2002, which Fulco said acts as a feeder program to the high school team.
“Diane was amazingly enthusiastic and organized, and with her previous experience helped us to promote our growing team, and assemble volunteers for our massive food concessions that fed hundreds of people during our home meets,” Charlie Anderson said.
Through Fulco’s leadership, Anderson said the team was able to purchase essential items, from wrestling mats to singlets to electronic scoreboards.
Fulco also advertised the team to people and sent sign up sheets for students interested in joining.
She was able to help grow the team from 25 athletes when she first started to 60.
“She really set the tone, brought over all of her experience and things that she learned, you know, not only just about wrestling, but about fundraising.
And it was like running a business,” Charlie Anderson said.
Fulco said she remembered how she took a different approach promoting the team, including introducing “swag,” which spiked interest in the team.
“We had one time 50 lawn signs that we put all over the town of Trumbull and even beyond. We also gave out the kids Trumbull youth wrestling T-shirts, and they were cool Tshirts,” Fulco said.
Fulco also worked to ensure the funds were used to help students who otherwise could not afford to participate in the program. She said it was important to make sure all children had a chance to participate.
The funds didn’t just get them singlets. Money raised also helped give students rides to matches.
Trumbull has a median household income of $138,801, but 4.4 percent of residents live in poverty, according to the U.S. Census. Impoverished students and school districts can often lack reliable transportation to matches or practice which can lead to missed opportunities to participate in sports.
Fulco and the program saw to it no child would be left without a ride.
“If they signed up and they didn’t have enough money, they didn’t have the time or they didn’t have a ride to the tournament,” Fulco said. “We were able to provide that. And nobody was left behind.”