Staples’ Guiduli scoring goals for a good cause
Bruno Guiduli does not get many scoring opportunities playing fullback on the Staples boys soccer team.
However, since the summer, Guiduli has been working his way toward 2,020 goals scored.
Looking for a way to lend a helping hand to those in need while playing the game he loves, Guiduli has been going into his front yard and scoring goals to raise money and awareness for TOPSoccer, a nonprofit focusing on working with children with intellectual and physical disabilities through soccer.
Making it more challenging, Guiduli and his family built a large wooden sign that reads “TOPSoccer” with the O in TOP cut out. That O, which is 18 inches in diameter, is where he has to score and it is not as easy as it looks.
Some days Guiduli can spend more than an hour in his front yard banging shots off the wooden sign from 10 yards away before getting one to fit just right in the hole.
For the junior who also plays club soccer for Beachside, it is time well spent.
“I have always liked helping kids with special needs,” Guiduli said. “We have all been stuck inside with COVID and I wanted to see how I could help. When I found out about TOPSoccer and what they do for kids with special needs, allowing them to play the same game I grew up playing, I wanted to help out. Doing this and raising money I thought was a fun idea. The kids could see me playing and from that people could donate.”
Guiduli posts videos of his goals, 27 and counting, on his “Scoring for TOPSoccer, Bruno’s Fundraiser” Facebook page which has a link to his GoFundMe page.
The money is all raised through donations with the goals being used simply to draw attention to the cause.
Guiduli just reached a big milestone in fundraising in an unexpected way, but is looking for more.
“Today, I was at $970 after a big donation from
my Italian teacher and I posted on my story for SnapChat and a friend who I rarely talk to was like ‘I got you’ and donated $30 and got me over $1,000,” Guiduli said. “We got a lot of support especially from (Staples soccer coach) Dan Woog who shared it out a bunch and donated. A lot of my teammates have been donating and sharing it. When my friends post GoFundMes I like to check them out and try to help them out, but seeing my friends and people I don’t even talk to that much come together as a collective group is just incredible. It’s not just me doing this for them, but it’s a whole community that recognizes it.”
Having gotten help raising money through his friends, coaches and teachers, Guiduli is hoping the campaign can reach people state-wide and beyond.
“I have gotten a lot of people I don’t even know reaching out and saying ‘this is great’ or ‘I respect this’ or ‘I’m going to try and donate,’” Guiduli said. “I thought that was really great. A kid at Staples I have never talked to before
put in $20 and that was incredible.”
He is determined to reach his lofty goal of 2,020 goals scored through the O while realizing that may take years. Guiduli is willing to put in the time, even if that means continuing the project into his college years.
During soccer season getting out to his yard was difficult at times with school and athletic responsibilities, but with the weather cooperating so far in December, he is outside shooting three to four days a week.
“The goals don’t directly translate to funds donated. The goals are just to show what I’m doing bringing a soccer component to this,” Guiduli said. “I haven’t really thought of an end date but the original goal was 2,020 goals. I did the math on that and that might take a while. I am at 27 goals. I am almost there.”
That brought a wide smile to Guiduli’s face as he returned to firing soccer balls at the goal.