The Forza Stefano club has become one of Pines Charter’s most notable clubs students can join. With the club having only been founded a year ago by the star players of the water polo team, Silvana and Stella Dioguardi, it has over 70 members and has made countless of fundraisers and charities. This club is true to their main goal: helping kids in need. As said by the co-founder of the club, Silvana Dioguardi, “Our club helps by volunteering in various ways around the community and by donating, fundraising, and advocating for teens with cancer”.

   The club has shown just that as they always seem to be active in advocating for their cause, whether it is fundraisers such as Forza Stefano Board Game Drive, Jeremiah’s Italian Ice, or even MOD Pizza. These proceeds go directly to the Forza Stefano organization to help kids and families who suffer with cancer. These fundraisers doesn’t only include outside of school but in school too. During A and B lunches, members of the club sold Puravida bracelets and were able to raise over five-hundred dollars. These earnings went to the Forza Stefano foundation which donated the funds to teens at Joe Dimaggio Hospital that suffer with cancer.

   Forza Stefano not only has positive affects on the children in need, but it has also had a grand influence on the co-founders of the club, Silvana and Stella. When asked how the club has affected both of them, they replied, “We’ve gotten the opportunity to be community leaders and share an important cause with others. We get to be role models of supporting the people in our community and giving back. We’ve learned how good it feels to give back to our community ”.

   The hard-work done by the founders not only transfers to the Forza Stefeno Club, but also into the swimming pool. These sisters have been important pieces to the water polo team this year, hoping to repeat their success from last year and win another district championship. This season, Silvana leads the team in goals and assists, recording thirty and eleven respectively and has already surpassed her total amount goals from last season. Stella this year has fifteen goals with seven assists and is already focusing on the trek for playoffs.

   These two sisters have done wonders in and out of the swimming pool. This would be their last year together advocating for the club and winning silverware for the water polo team. Nonetheless, the work they’ve done for Forza Stefano and the water polo team has been nothing short of inspiring.