At a few of the varsity sports events, the fan sections contributed to the “Red-Out Night”  by sporting a sea of red shirts. Walpole High School students and spectators showed their support and willingness to fight alongside Tara O’Brien and her non-profit organization “4 You I Will Fight” by wearing red as they cheered on their classmates at hockey and basketball games.

“We always want to have the same mentality going into a game, but when we get a huge crowd to support 4 You I WIll Fight it means a lot more,” senior Jack Walsh said.

On Jan.  6, 2020, O’Brien was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, more commonly known as ALS. As of currently, there is no cure for the disease. Two weeks after the news was broken, O’Brien and her three children, Allie, Sophia, and David, founded a charity in hopes of spreading awareness and raising money towards research and eventually a cure for the 12,000-15,000 individuals in the United States with the disease. 4 You I Will Fight just celebrated its third year in the making on Jan. 21. 

The boys basketball team hosted the first “Red-Out” night on Jan. 6, at a home game against their rival, Norwood. Both students and parents were seen clad in red in the stands, many with the title “4 You I Will Fight” across their chests. The boys and girls hockey team have their own events scheduled throughout February. On Feb. 5 the girls hockey team had their “Red-Out Night” against Milton, while the boys team was set for Feb. 19. 4 You I Will merchandise is sold at the games, including long and short sleeve shirts, tank tops, hats and sweatshirts, all in the signature red color with the slogan “4 You I Will Fight”. All of the profit goes directly toward ALS research.

“Getting to play in front of a packed crowd like that really gets myself and the team going,” basketball captain Ryan King said. “It’s a great atmosphere to be part of.”

O’Brien’s foundation emphasizes the importance of appreciating the smaller components of life, specifically things that are often forgotten to be luxuries such as taking walks, hugging loved ones and spending time out with friends. She attributes her ability to keep a positive mentality to her gratefulness towards her family and all they do for her on a regular basis. Her goal in the long term is to ensure that her children have reasons to feel proud of themselves for their efforts to initiate change. In addition to donations and 4 You I will Fight merchandise, the organization has also hosted road races, bake sales, yard sales, raffles, bottle drives and polar plunges. She explains that continuing to raise money keeps her fighting and benefits those who are dealing with similar battles. O’Brien refuses to stand down to ALS and her efforts to help others have not gone unnoticed by the Walpole community.